Sojourn
by angelbutterfly
Summary: Saitou protecting Japan, Kenshin doing what he thinks is best, Aoshi protecting Misao, Soujiro seeking truth...all are involved for different reasons, but are going through the same journey. Basically every pairing, but mostly focusing on SoujiroOC...but
1. Meetings and Greetings

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. *sigh* Although I can always dream that I did...  
  
Ch.1: Requests  
  
"Kenshin! Finish the laundry!" Kaoru ordered as she smacked him on the head.  
  
"Oro!"  
  
"The raving bear girl is at it again." Sano remarked, watching Kenshin walk towards the clotheslines rubbing his head.  
  
"What did you say Sano?" Kaoru ran up to him glaring big-eyed.  
  
"That Kenshin deserves better."  
  
"What?!!! Why you good-for-nothing freeloader..."  
  
"Well, it's not as if he said anything wrong." Yahiko quipped in.  
  
"Oro..." Kenshin sweat-dropped as Kaoru chased Sano and Yahiko all over the dojo with her kendo stick.  
  
"I don't know how you put up with them Battousai." Surprised, Kenshin whirled around, only to see a smirking Saitou leaning his hand against the entrance.  
  
"Saitou, what a surprise. What brings you here?"  
  
"Saitou?" Kaoru came to an abrupt stop.  
  
"What ARE you doing here?" Sano glared.  
  
"None of your concern rooster-head." Completely ignoring Sano's fuming red face, Saitou continued "I need a word with you."  
  
"By all means." Kenshin motioned for him to come inside.  
  
"I wonder what's going on." Kaoru murmured as the two men walked off in the opposite direction. Her face filled with worry and her thoughts wandered, so much so that she didn't notice Sano and Yahiko sneak past her and out the door. "Kenshin..."  
  
* * *  
  
"So why is it that you wish to talk to me?" Kenshin looked at Saitou inquisitively. Saitou continued to walk, acting as if he didn't heed him. Kenshin tried to sense his ki. Nothing seemed to be out of place, except for a sense of...what was it, uneasiness. Saitou nervous? Was that even possible? But then again, there was a hint of irritation also, which was after all, more like Saitou. Well, whatever it was, it was bothering Saitou—and bothering Saitou was not a smart thing to do.  
  
"As you have noticed," Saitou suddenly started, "Japan has changed."  
  
"Hai." Kenshin replied. "It is a new era."  
  
"Yes, it is...but the changes I'm referring to don't necessary just refer to the transition to the Meiji Era...but rather to a different sort of influence."  
  
Kenshin's eyes lit up. "You mean, foreign influence."  
  
"As I walk through the streets I see more western garbs, houses being built with western designs, yes, and even weaponry...needless to say, I see that Japan is no longer Japan."  
  
"Perhaps it's for the better." Kenshin reasoned.  
  
Saitou merely shrugged. Then his amber eyes darkened. "An American ambassador is coming to Tokyo tomorrow."  
  
"Tokyo? Why not Kyoto or..."  
  
"Kyoto no longer holds its former glory. It is still prosperous, but no longer the center of attention."  
  
"I see...so how are you involved in this?" Kenshin knew where this would eventually lead to, but decided to let Saitou go on for a while.  
  
"I need to find out what the ambassador has in mind, and to stop him if necessary. But..."  
  
"...it's a delicate situation. You cannot allow the man to corrupt Japan, yet you cannot deal with him too rashly, for a careless move can cause war—a war Japan can't afford." Kenshin finished for him.  
  
"I need you to accompany me when I meet him tomorrow."  
  
Kenshin had an amused look in his eyes. "Are you asking me for help Saitou?"  
  
"No," he smirked, "I'm giving you an opportunity."  
  
* * *  
A young man walked silently through the woods. His crystal blue eyes glinted brightly as the sun's rays reflected off of them. His once clean and pressed blue gi had been worn out, marking him as a wanderer. However, one thing never changed—his ever-present smile.  
  
Tenken no Soujiro. Yes, that would they think of him now? He had wandered from place to place, searching for the truth, which he had not yet found. But he still had a couple more years to go, and in all honestly, it hadn't been a bad life. That is, except for the fact that he hasn't eaten for days...  
  
As if to reinforce his thoughts, his stomach grumbled. Soujiro looked through his belongings. Great, no money. Well, what did you expect, you're a rurouni remember? He mentally reminded himself. Looking at the road ahead of him, he contemplated his options. Tokyo was a days walk away, and surely he could manage to figure out something there. Well, that is, Tokyo wouldn't be as far away if he used his god-like speed...Soujiro shook his head. No, he needed to save his energy. Tokyo...he thought once more. Kenshin lived there, and of course the sadistic ex-Shinsengumi. Perhaps it was time that he paid them a visit.  
  
* * *  
  
Sano and Yahiko walked lazily as Sano whistled a random tune. "Ha! We managed to get away from ugly at last!" Yahiko shouted out of joy.  
  
"Yup. It feels great. HA HA HA HA!" The two of them roared with laughter, causing people to slowly move away from them.  
  
"So what do you want to do?"  
  
"Let's go to the Akabeko and celebrate. I'm hungry."  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
They both dug through their pouches to see if they had any money. Nothing. Both sweat-dropped. "Why, you don't have any money do you?" They both said in unison. "No, of course I do." They continued on. "Ok, then what are you waiting for?" Neither of them moved.  
  
Sano suddenly thought up an idea. "Whoever gets there first has to pay for everything, alright?"  
  
"Fine by me." Yahiko replied. He could easily outrun Sano.  
  
"All right then, one two three!"  
  
Both ran as fast as they could. But just after a few seconds, they accidentally bumped into someone, causing them to fall flat-faced on the ground.  
  
"Hey, watch it!" The person yelled at them.  
  
"You watch it!" Yahiko yelled back while getting back on his feet. "Can't you see that..." Yahiko's voice trailed off as he looked at the person. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Even Sano became surprised. It was the genki ninja girl Misao. Well, actually she didn't seem very genki right now. In fact, if he and Yahiko knew what was good for them, they would start running again, this time in the opposite direction. "Baka!" Misao screamed, drawing out her kunai. By this time everyone else had gone off the streets.  
  
"So weasel girl, what are you doing in Tokyo? And where's that ice block of a okashira of yours?" Yahiko sneered, not quite realizing the danger he was in. To both Sano and Yahiko's surprise, Misao burst into tears.  
  
"Come on Misao, let's go. We'll talk about it inside." Sano offered.  
  
* * *  
  
"So let me get this straight. You left for good?" Misao just nodded her head. Sano couldn't believe his ears. Certainly Misao had "run away" before, and had come to the Kamiya residence, but she had always gone back. But this time she had a determined look in her eyes. Shinomori was an idiot.  
  
"He doesn't care about me!" Misao suddenly burst. "He never pays attention to me. The only thing he does is to criticize some fault in me." She started to mimic him, "Misao, don't run around so much. Misao act more like your age. Misao this Misao that..."  
  
"Well, in a way he's right you know." Yahiko remarked bluntly.  
  
Sano groaned. Yahiko wasn't helping. "So when did you get here?"  
  
"Just today." Misao replied wiping away her tears.  
  
"Do you have a place to stay?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well then, why don't you stay with Kaoru?" Sano offered.  
  
"Do you think they'll mind?" Misao asked timidly.  
  
"I'm sure they won't."  
  
* * *  
"Is everyone else still sleeping?" Kenshin asked Kaoru. She nodded her head.  
  
"Misao is still tired from her journey, Yahiko sleeps too much as usual, and Sano drank so much sake last night that I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't wake up till next week."  
  
Kenshin chuckled at this. None of them ever changed much. Then looking at Kaoru, he smiled softly. "Kaoru-dono, do not worry about me. I can take care of myself. Besides, it's only a visit, and it's not as if I'm leaving."  
  
"Ahem." They both turned around, seeing an irritated Saitou waiting. "She's acting as if you received a death sentence." He whispered, as he and Kenshin walked out the door. "She has become more sentimental lately. Unfortunately I haven't figured out what is bothering her." Saitou looked back and forth between Kaoru and Kenshin. Idiots.  
  
* * *  
  
By the time Saitou and Kenshin arrived at the embassy, the ambassador had already arrived, and was stepping out of the carriage. He seemed to be a mild sort of man, not the type that would cause any mischief. But then again, one never knew...  
  
"Ah," he said, after spotting Saitou. "You must be the chief police of Tokyo."  
  
"Fujita Goro, at your service." He said, with a small hint of disdain that he knew the man wouldn't catch.  
  
"Ah yes," the ambassador smiled, "accept my apology. I'm sure you had more important matters to attend to." Saitou smiled back. Apparently the man wasn't as foolish as he thought. "And if you and the gentleman don't mind, could you step inside?" He continued, acknowledging Kenshin. Both nodded, and soon all three were lead into a well-furbished room. "Could you leave us for a moment?" The ambassador requested to the steward. With a nod, he disappeared, closing the door after him. After being certain that he would not be overheard by anyone else, the ambassador started, addressing Saitou, "To tell you the truth, I had not specifically asked you to come for my sake."  
  
Now this was interesting. If not for him, then for whom? The man's logic wasn't flawed, for after all there were more police and guards in this house than necessary, and he had proved himself beforehand that he had some intelligence within him. But then again, the pieces didn't seem to fit in, and if anything, he was tricking them...  
  
As if to read Saitou's thoughts, the ambassador motioned towards the door. "I would like you to meet my sister, Catherine..."  
* * *  
  
Misao hummed as she watched Kaoru teach Yahiko. It was obvious that Kaoru was loosing patience with him, and of course, the other way around as well. In fact, they were just about to burst...now.  
  
"Yahiko, stop fooling around and concentrate!"  
  
"I am concentrating! What would you know ugly!"  
  
"Why you..."  
  
Misao decided that this was the perfect time to take a walk.  
  
She wandered around the dojo a couple of times, thinking about this and that, in fact, trying to think about anything other than...Suddenly, she heard someone approach the door. "Himura, is that you?" She ran to the door, expected to see the red-headed man with his goofy grin... "It's...it's you!" Immediately she took her battle stance.  
  
"What's with all the shouting that's going on?" Both Yahiko and Kaoru popped their heads out the door.  
  
"It's...it's Soujiro..."  
  
* * *  
  
A woman stepped inside the room. Both Kenshin and Saitou stared. "His...sister?" There was no way that she was his sister. She had raven silk hair that hung loosely by her waist, milky smooth skin, and twinkling chocolate eyes that were the representation of autumn itself. But besides all of this, one thing blatantly pointed out that what the ambassador claimed was impossible. She wore a western attire sure enough, but she was not a foreigner.  
  
Seeing the men's incredulous looks, the ambassador chuckled. "Yes, she is my sister, although not blood-related. Which, I'm sure you gentleman noticed."  
  
"So what is it that you have in mind?" Saitou asked, his suspicions increasing.  
  
"Well you see, Catherine had lived in Japan..."  
  
"And I decided to return." She started off with her mellifluous voice with not a hint of an accent.  
  
"Yes, and as she tells me, and by what I could conjecture, she is probably in more danger than I am." Saitou contemplated the situation for a minute. Why is she in danger? There must be more to this, and he was going to find out. "...so she needs to be protected, and of course, she needs to be out of the embassy." Noticing the men's confused looks, he attempted to explain, this time with an even lower voice. "I know I'm being watched, yes, and by my own men too. I don't trust any of them."  
"Then why are you trusting us?" Saitou asked cynically.  
  
"Just a guess." He smiled. "Besides, I get a feeling that whatever she is up to has something to do with Japan, and I'm sure you're interested. So will you be of assistance?" Saitou reviewed his options for a minute. The ambassador was being watched already. He was a trapped mouse. His "sister" on the other hand...  
  
"I'll accept your offer."  
  
"Good. Catherine, are you ready to go?"  
  
"Yes," she smiled warmly. "Don't get into trouble while I'm gone." With that, she exited the room, followed by Saitou and Kenshin. As soon as they went on the streets, Kenshin started a conversation with her.  
  
"Cat...Catherine..." Kenshin stammered slightly. He groaned to himself. Great, that went well...  
  
"Oh, you don't have to call me that. I know the name is foreign to your tongue. Call me by my Japanese name, Sonami." She offered gently.  
  
"Pardon me asking, but just how old are you?"  
  
"Twenty-one." Kenshin's eye widened. She may be twenty-one, but she only looked about eighteen. That also reminded him of someone else...  
  
"Good Battousai, be friendly to her." Saitou thought to himself. "We need to earn her trust, and then we'll know everything." Saitou wasn't stupid enough to believe every word he heard so far. Sure, the story was believable, up to a certain point, but there were a lot of holes in between. He had to fill in those holes.  
  
* * *  
  
Sano woke up with a huge headache. He honestly didn't think that he deserved such a bad one as this however. All he drank were two bottles, or maybe three...four... Then he realized that the mood was, too tense. He opened the door. "Hey Kaoru what's going on..." His headache miraculously went away, and his eyes opened wide. Misao, Kaoru, and Yahiko were attacking a man, that man being Soujiro Seta.  
  
"No, seriously miss..." Soujiro tried to explain while dodging their attacks, "I mean no harm. I just came to..."  
  
"To do what?" Kaoru snapped. "To hurt Kenshin? Do you think we will let you do that?"  
"Hey you three, stop!" Sano shouted.  
  
"What is going on in here?" All faces turned to the three figures at the door. Kenshin, Saitou, and who???  
* * *  
  
Yay! My first chapter is finished! Yea yea, I know it's not perfect. Misao is a bit too whiny, Kaoru is too melodramatic, Sano is a bit too sympathetic, and Saitou needs to be more cynical and cold. Oh, and I also noticed that the chapter isn't uploading too well, ugh, whatever, it's not working! The format is messed up! Well, what did you expect...it was my pathetic attempt at fanfiction. But I hope you enjoyed it! =)  
  
A sample of next chapter:  
  
"She's pretty."  
"Yea, five times prettier than all the other girls combined."  
"Well, obviously the others aren't even competition."  
"What did you all say?!!"  
  
Hee...hee...who said which quote? =)  
  
Ok, please review...pretty please! =) 


	2. Tokyo

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to all those that reviewed! Ok, so maybe not that many people reviewed, but still it's better than nothing! =) (I'm trying to think optimistically, because people always tell me that I'm a bit too pessimistic) Well anyways, on with the fic!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Please stop reminding me... =(  
  
* * *  
  
Ch.2: Tokyo  
  
Immediately the fighting stopped. "Kenshin, this good for nothing assassin is after you!" Misao warned as she drew out more kunai.  
  
"No miss, you're mistaken, I'm just here to..." Seeing that this was getting nowhere, Soujiro let out a sigh. No matter what he did, no matter where he went, his reputation always caused problems for him. Perhaps there was a reason why Himura wandered for ten years. The span gave enough time for most people to forget—or at least not to worry much. "I'm sorry." He started, putting on a fake plastered smile of his. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble...I'll just be on my way now..." He felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Wait." Kenshin said, "If anyone owes an apology, that would be me. I haven't told the others about how you changed."  
  
"That's what I tried to tell them!" Sano cut in.  
  
"What are you talking about? You were in your room dead drunk this whole time." Misao mocked him.  
  
Sano's face turned red. "That's besides the point!"  
  
"Well then Soujiro, would you like to stay for a while? It seems to me you haven't had a decent meal or decent housing for months." Soujiro considered his options. There was nothing urgent for him to do. He would stay. As if he had read his mind, Kenshin smiled, "welcome to the Kamiya dojo." Then he turned around to introduce...Sonami wasn't there. "Oro?"  
  
"While you were busy conversing with the ex-assassin, Battousai, the Kamiya girl led Sonami into a room." Saitou answered in an irritated tone.  
  
"Oh..." Kenshin stammered, embarrassed.  
  
"She said she'd come out in a few minutes." Kaoru came and informed them, oblivious to Kenshin's previous embarrassment.  
  
Sonami came out in a simple soft blue kimono with silver etchings and butterflies on the hems. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, held together by a long, silken blue bow. "I almost forgot how heavy these were." She smiled.  
  
Both Sano and Yahiko's jaws dropped open. "She's pretty."  
  
"Yea, five times prettier than all the other girls combined."  
  
"Well, obviously the others aren't even competition."  
  
"What did you all say?!!" Misao and Kaoru went up to their faces, glaring at them.  
  
"Um...nothing, nothing!" Sano said, alarmed.  
  
"Hm, that's what we thought."  
  
"Hey Soujiro," both Sano and Yahiko started poking at the shoulders of the boy who unfortunately was standing next to them. "What do you think, huh? I mean you're more near her age, and I'm sure you would agree with us, right?"  
  
Soujiro blushed slightly red and gave a nervous sweat-drop. Why were they asking him such things? He didn't...  
  
"My, you must be hungry." Kaoru suddenly addressed Soujiro. "I was going to cook something for everyone anyways." With the exceptions of Sonami's and Soujiro's, everyone else's faces turned a shade paler.  
  
"I have other business to attend to Battousai, so I'll leave you to take care of everything." With that, Saitou disappeared.  
  
"Lucky him." Sano murmured.  
  
"Now I want everyone to be here when lunch is ready." She warned the rest of them. "Or else!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Would you like any help?" Sonami asked sweetly as she entered through the kitchen door.  
  
"No, I'm fine..."  
  
Sonami managed to suppress a giggle. It was a miracle that Kaoru managed to keep the kitchen from burning up. "Are you sure?"  
  
Kaoru heaved a sigh. "Well, actually..."  
  
"Don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of everything."  
  
"But you're the guest..." Sonami started pushing Kaoru out of the kitchen. "Well I guess it doesn't matter."  
  
* * *  
  
"I don't deserve this." Sano groaned while waiting for food.  
  
"I don't think anyone does." Yahiko remarked.  
  
"Not even Enishi?"  
  
"No, not even him." Sano was going to mention Shishio instead, but thought better of it. After all, Soujiro was there.  
  
"All right, everyone, eat!" Kaoru bellowed.  
  
Soujiro gulped. Everyone else had filled him in on Kaoru's horrible cooking, and he half expected to choke to death...  
  
"Mmmm, this is good!" Sano exclaimed. "It's a miracle!  
  
"What?!!" Kaoru slapped Sano on the head.  
  
"Well Kaoru-dono, this is certainly an improvement." Kenshin remarked, smiling.  
  
"Well, I um..." Kaoru started blushing. "Actually, this is Sonami's cooking."  
  
"I knew it was too good to be true." Yahiko quipped. The next day Yahiko was going to have a big bruise on the side of his head.  
  
"You are certainly talented Miss Sonami," Kenshin commented. "Which reminds me, I haven't formally introduce you to everyone."  
  
"I'm Sano!" He suddenly burst out with a goofy grin on his face. Everyone sweat-dropped.  
  
"I'm Yahiko."  
  
"Misao Makimachi visiting from Tokyo."  
  
"And of course you know me and Kaoru already," Kenshin added in. "Oh, and this is Soujiro."  
  
"Nice to meet all of you." Sonami replied. Then she addressed Soujiro. "You don't seem to talk much." She smiled. "But that's okay, because that just means that you are careful about what you say and do."  
  
"Hear that Sano?" Kaoru nudged him. "You should take that advice."  
  
Completely ignoring Kaoru, Sano asked eagerly, "So Sonami, could you tell us a bit about where you come from?"  
  
"What would you like to know?"  
  
"First off, how did you get to Japan?"  
  
"Well, me and my brother first went all the way to a place called California, and then we..."  
  
* * *  
  
Sonami rubbed her eyes. It was morning already. But she did have a good night sleep—one that she didn't have in a long time. Strange, of all times to feel safe and secure. If only he was with her now...she heaved a sigh. Slowly, she took out her four most prized possessions. A beautifully carved butterfly jade necklace, a silver cross, an elegantly bejeweled and silken white bow, and...she quickly hid these things as the door slid open. She smiled back at the two figures.  
  
"See, I told you she was awake." Misao giggled.  
  
"Well, one could never be too sure." Kaoru replied.  
  
"So, what are we doing today?" Sonami asked, curious. They were planning something, she could tell by the glint of their eyes, but she wasn't sure exactly what it was.  
  
"We were hoping," Misao and Kaoru said in unison, "that you'll get dressed quickly and go with us to the marketplace. We basically wanted to show you around Tokyo."  
  
Sonami couldn't help but smile at this. If only they knew just how well she used to know Tokyo, and many other places in Japan...but then again, it had been many years since she had stepped on Japanese soil, and things probably changed. "Sure, I'd love to go." The next thing she knew, the two eager girls dragged her out the door.  
  
"We're going now Kenshin, watch the dojo while I'm gone!" Kaoru yelled. Then without even waiting for a reply, the three girls disappeared.  
  
"Ugh." Yahiko groaned, "there nothing to do here. I'm going to go find Tsubame." With that he walked out.  
  
"I might as well go bother the fox doctor." Sano said. With that, he left the bewildered Kenshin and Soujiro and headed towards where Megumi was.  
  
"Hey fox, what ya doing?"  
  
"What do you want now Sano?" Megumi came out, a bit irritated.  
  
"Nothing else to do so I came to bother you."  
  
Rolling her eyes, Megumi continued. "By the way, I heard that Misao came from Kyoto."  
  
"That's not all." Sano said, suddenly getting a bit excited. "There's another girl now too, and she's really pretty, and sweet, and..."  
  
"Is she really that great?"  
  
"Of course." Sano replied proudly, not catching the disappointment in Megumi's voice.  
  
"I see...well you realize that Shinomori-san is going to come for Misao, don't you?" Megumi suddenly changed the subject.  
  
"Probably." Sano snorted. "Although this time it's probably going to be more serious than before. I just don't understand it."  
  
"Don't understand what?"  
  
"Them two. It's obvious that they both can't live without each other, yet they act as if the other doesn't exist. Well, actually not in Misao's case, she's quite the opposite, but as for Shinomori...sometimes I just want to smack him on the head and make him come to his senses."  
  
"It's not so easy you know." Megumi sighed.  
  
"Well, how much more persuasion does he need? I don't think all men are that stupid."  
  
"If you only knew..." Megumi thought, sighing inwardly.  
  
* * *  
  
"So how have you been Soujiro?" The two swordsmen sat face to face, probing each other to find the truth. Sakura petals danced in the air as the wind carried them far away, even to the depths of the blue ocean. A tranquil day today was, indeed. But the mind of the man that he sat across from didn't share the same luxury. Still too much turmoil within him. In certain ways he was still the lost boy that didn't know what to do with his life. Even behind the trademark smile of his.  
  
"Just fine. One grows to really love the forest after realizing that one can rarely get a decent roof over one's head." Kenshin smiled. The boy still had his sarcasm. "But in all honesty though, it hasn't been too bad." Soujiro sighed. "But I'm still unable to find the truth that I am seeking."  
  
"It takes time."  
  
"I know."  
  
* * *  
  
"This kimono would look great on you Misao." Sonami commented, while holding up the fabric next to Misao.  
  
"I don't really wear kimonos." Misao scowled.  
  
Sonami laughed. "Yes, I know what you mean. They are quite burdens lots of times, especially if one needs to fight.  
  
"That's why I'm not wearing one." Misao said proudly, "You can never be too prepared."  
  
"But it's nice to have variety." Sonami suggested. "Besides, there are still ways to fight in kimono's and most of the time, they are quite effective, thanks to the element of surprise they bring."  
  
"Really?" Misao asked, now interested. "You certainly know a lot of interesting things Sonami."  
  
"Well, it's mostly due to traveling." She smiled, "I remember one time when I visited France..." Sonami proceeded to tell how she almost got her purse stolen while eating at a restaurant on her way to visit Versailles. She and her brother had not noticed a thing, for they were busy talking to the dignitaries, and the thief was almost out the door when she realized that something felt a bit awkward. The boy, realizing that he had better disappear, ran. That was a bad choice. She caught up to the boy, although she had probably chased him through every alleyway in the city. The funny thing was, she had worn a huge, heavy, puffy dress that day, and the boy realizing this, clung to it, not letting go no matter what. Eventually, he clung to it so much that part of it ripped. Misao and Kaoru listened fascinated, trying to imagine Japanese women in big, puffed up kimono's walking around the streets. The visions brought on so much laughter that tears started forming in their eyes.  
  
"So, what did you do?"  
  
Apparently, the boy was too shocked that he just stood there. So she took the purse back, reprimanded him severely, and decided to not turn him in this time, for by his appearance she concluded that he lived in poverty. Luckily for her, by the time she came back, the others were gone, and the only one that laughed about her situation was her brother. The two lessons she learned that day: always be aware of one's surrounding's no matter what, and never wear puffed up dresses again. The two listeners giggled incessantly, and begged her to tell them more of her stories. Good, she thought. At least she got them thinking about something else. The conversation with Misao revealed a bit too much, and it was a good thing that neither Kaoru nor Misao realized it. And of course, she had left out parts of the story, especially the part about her having to fight certain thugs on the way. But they didn't have to know about that. In fact, they didn't have to know that she was quite capable of defending herself. At least for now. She had no intension of arousing suspicion, especially from the cynical man who wasn't exactly who he seemed to be. Eventually she would tell all, but not before she earned their trust.  
  
* * *  
  
Soujiro stared into the dark sky. Everyone else was sleeping. He could even hear Sano snoring. But for some reason he didn't feel like sleeping—not just yet. For once in his life he enjoyed the peace of the night. It felt awkward that he managed to find peace after all he did. But then again, Kenshin did, so why couldn't he? He felt another presence approaching him.  
  
"Aren't you tired Soujiro?" Sonami asked gently.  
  
"I would like to ask the same thing to you. After all, you were the one that was dragged all over Tokyo." He smiled. His gaze traced over her delicate face, and tresses of her midnight hair hanging near her shoulders...Soujiro mentally slapped himself. He couldn't think like that...he had too much blood on his hands, and would only cause more trouble...  
  
"Have we met before?" She suddenly asked.  
  
He shook his head. "No, I don't think so." After all, how could he ever forget someone like her? But looking into her eyes, he did sense some familiarity, yet he couldn't place it...it was about time that he went to bed.  
  
"Good night. Sleep well." He heard Sonami call after him. Yes, good night indeed.  
  
* * *  
  
Sonami sat alone for a while, looking at the stars. "You can come out now." There was a sudden movement at a nearby tree.  
  
The figure landed quietly besides Sonami. "That was quite close." With that she bowed in respect. "We all missed you Lady Sumi."  
  
"And so did I." She smiled. Then with haste, Sonami took a letter out from her obi. "You know who to deliver this to."  
  
"Of course," the girl replied, yet a bit hesitant, "but there is a bit of a problem. We haven't had contact with her for quite a while, so I don't know if I could reach her."  
  
"I'm sure you'll eventually figure it out." As the messenger started to leave, Sonami suddenly stopped her. "Oh, and Suki," Sonami looked towards the general direction of Soujiro's room, "I also need you to find out something for me..."  
  
* * *  
  
Yay! Done with chappy! Yea...certain parts turned out a bit corny...oh and I should make some comments and also explain...  
  
Sano-ok, so maybe I made him a bit too goofy. But he and Yahiko always add to the humor! =)  
  
Saitou-Lucky him he managed to escape just in time! =) Yea, I know, not much of him in this chapter, but don't worry, there's a lot of him overall throughout the fic, so don't be disappointed! (for all you Saitou fans)  
  
Kenshin-not much of him either...  
  
Misao and Kaoru-they add to the humor too. Oh, and there's going to be focus on Misao a bit later on too.  
  
Megumi-yes, I finally added her to the fic...poor her, Sano is clueless...  
  
Soujiro-yes, our poor little Soujiro...still a bit depressed. Sano and Yahiko seem to put him on the spot a lot in this chapter don't they?  
  
Sonami-Ah yes, our OC. I know, her character seems to be hard to grasp. At times she's so innocent and yet there are some dark aspects of her. Sounds a bit like our Tenken, huh? =) But don't worry, she's a good character (although it's not quite as evident yet). Without giving up too much of the story, I would just like to say that she's going back and forth between two aspects of her life. No, she's not bipolar, or schizophrenic, or anything like that, it just...ugh, you'll eventually find out.  
  
Oh, and I noticed that some parts of the scene are pretty similar to an episode that actually took place (but with different people). I didn't purposely try to make it similar...it just happened that way...so don't accuse me of copying...  
  
And yes, I know that things seem a bit slow right now, but the pace is going to get faster soon. I promise! =)  
  
Oh and of course...Please please review! =) 


	3. Simple Understanding

Thank you everyone for being so encouraging! =) Ok, well on with the fic...  
  
Standard Disclaimers apply. (why is it necessary for me to keep on repeating this?)  
  
* * *  
  
A couple days passed since Sonami walked through the doors of the dojo. Now, everyone adored her. Misao and Kaoru followed her everywhere, asking about this and that, Kaoru asking mostly about cooking, and Misao mostly asking about her adventures.  
  
"Please, Sonami, you just have to let me in on the secret of how to make dumplings crispier."  
  
"Before that, finish telling me about the railroad that they are building that goes through the whole country."  
  
"Hey Sonami, why don't you ditch those two and I'll show you around Tokyo some more." Sano would come in, trying to get her attention. By the time he walked out of the door, he would have two big bruises on his head.  
  
Soujiro would have random discussions with her while walking around the dojo a few times, and although no one else really knew what they were talking about, it seemed as if they were enjoying themselves. Even Saitou, *gasp* didn't exactly dislike her. "She doesn't seem to be too ignorant for her age." He commented to Kenshin after having a lengthy conversation about the history of Japanese swordsmanship with her. Kenshin smiled. Coming from Saitou, that was a compliment. Kenshin of course, thought nothing but highly of her, and truly hoped that the sweet girl had no ulterior motives. She had charmed them all.  
  
* * *  
  
Aoshi was at the temple as usual, sipping tea given to him by Omasu, who had filled in due to Misao's absence. Okina suddenly stepped in. Aoshi didn't even quirk an eyebrow.  
  
"Aoshi, Misao has been gone for quite awhile, and I'm getting worried."  
  
Aoshi turned around to face Okina. "Misao is quite capable of taking care of herself."  
  
"But aren't you worried?"  
  
He merely shrugged. "I'm sure she'll eventually be back. She had done this a couple of times before."  
  
"Yes I know that." Okina answered a bit bitterly. "But one does have concern over those that one cares about." With that he exited.  
  
Aoshi sat there for a couple more minutes. Then with a sigh, he stood up and walked out.  
  
* * *  
  
Sonami and Soujiro walked side-by-side around the edges of the dojo. Sakura petals fell gently on them as they passed, some getting stuck in Sonami's hair. Unconsciously, Soujiro lifted his hand and brushed the petals off of her hair. When she realized what he just did, she blushed and edged a bit away from him. Soujiro wasn't exactly in a comfortable situation either.  
  
"I always loved flowers." She started, breaking the awkward silence. "Especially orchids and sakura."  
  
"I never had much time to enjoy such things when I was young." Soujiro replied sadly. "But," he said with a brighter note, "I could do so now."  
  
"And that's all that matters." Sonami added, smiling. They stayed silent for a while until Sonami started speaking again, this time though her voice a bit wavering. "Long time ago, I still remember, my friend...he used to bring flowers into my room almost everyday. I used to look at those flowers, and I would be so happy, that at least someone thought about me. Even when I had nothing to look forward to, I was still able to console myself." She turned around. "Am I being too sentimental?"  
  
"No, you're not." He assured her.  
  
She smiled. "Thank you."  
  
* * *  
  
"What are they doing over there?" Sano quipped. "Don't they get sick and tired of walking around the dojo for such a long time?"  
  
"Why?" Yahiko started to tease, "You jealous?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Liar."  
  
"Hey!" The two of them started growling at each other.  
  
"She's too young for you, you know." Yahiko mocked Sano.  
  
"Well, she's too old for you, and besides, the last time I checked you were with Tsubame." Sano retorted back. The two gave each other evil eyes until...  
  
"Hey, what's that kid doing?" Yahiko suddenly asked.  
  
"Huh?" Sano turned around. There was a boy, about fourteen years of age, that seemed to be snooping around the place. He didn't seem particularly dangerous, but nevertheless he was acting suspicious.  
  
"Hey kid!" Sano shouted. "What are you doing there?" Realizing that he had been caught, the kid started to back away slowly. "Hey, you're not going anywhere until you tell us what you were doing!" Sano demanded. With that he made a grab for the kid. Unsuccessfully, that is. The kid dogged his grab easily, and quickly jumped up the wall, and went to the other side. Yahiko ran around to catch him, but unfortunately, by the time he turned the corner, the kid was gone. "Whoa, that kid is fast!" Sano commented.  
  
"Actually he wasn't that fast." Yahiko panted, "it was just that he had incredible maneuver abilities."  
  
"What are you two muttering about?" Yahiko and Sano turned around, and found a snickering Saitou, and a curious Kenshin.  
  
"There was a suspicious kid that was snooping around the dojo." Yahiko blurted out.  
  
"A suspicious looking kid?" Saitou quirked an eyebrow.  
  
"Did you manage to catch him?" Kenshin asked, concerned.  
  
"No." They both replied dejectedly.  
  
"What more did you expect Battousai?" Saitou commented, while lighting a cigarette. "Those two idiots never do anything right." Ignoring dagger eyes from Sano and Yahiko, he continued, "If you want anything done, you have to do it yourself."  
  
"Well, at least they spotted him." Kenshin remarked trying to at least give the two some credit. Saitou just stood there. "We'll figure something out." Kenshin said determined. "However..." he suddenly had a worried expression on his face. "Don't mention any of this to the others. I don't want them to get worried."  
  
"You can count on us!" Sano and Yahiko exclaimed in unison. Saitou snorted in disbelief.  
  
* * *  
  
It was dark. Koji sat on the roof of the dojo, waiting for the right time to get down. It had been very close this morning, a bit too close. He only hoped that he didn't mess up enough to disappoint her. This time he had to be even more careful. The residents of the dojo knew something was amiss, and were more cautious. He looked down carefully, to detect any movement below that he didn't recognize. Nothing. After taking a deep breath, he jumped. Next thing he knew, he had a cold katana pressed to his neck. Looking up, he saw a pair of amber eyes glaring at him.  
  
"All right boy, you're going to tell us exactly what you are doing here." Koji looked around frantically—the only one else he saw was a man with red hair and cross-shaped scars. He didn't exactly look friendly either, but not as scary as the other man.  
  
"Leave him alone." Koji almost jumped with joy when he heard that voice.  
  
"Sonami?" Kenshin said, surprised.  
  
"Hey, what's going on here?" Everyone had his or her head popped out of the doors, woken up by the commotion.  
  
"Yes, Sonami, what is going on?" Saitou glared, basically ordering her to speak.  
  
"First let go of him." Saitou released the boy. As soon as he did so, the kid ran up to Sonami with a letter in hand. "Thank you Koji. You can run off now." The boy didn't move. She smiled. "Don't worry about me, everything is going to be fine." With one final worried look, Koji disappeared.  
  
"I'm not sure letting him go was a good idea." Kenshin remarked.  
  
"Don't worry. He wouldn't have been useful to you anyways. He can't talk." Sonami explained to them. Noticing that Saitou was still glaring at her, and that the others were looking at her curiously, she continued. "I'm not the only one that keeps secrets, Saitou Hajime, captain of the third squad of the Shinsengumi." Then glaring at Kenshin, "and of course, you too, infamous Hitokiri Battousai." Everyone stood there in shock. How did she know...  
  
Having made her point, that she had every reason to keep things to herself, she stated, "Perhaps I should reveal my given name: Sumi Yutamuro." She smirked. "I'm sure for some of you the name sounds familiar." Saitou flinched. Even Kenshin seemed to be a bit nervous. Yutamuro. Sonami continued on, "Having told you this, I'll vaguely reveal my two objectives—one, I'm merely checking up on my former interests in Japan, which should not be a concern to any of you, and two..." Her voice suddenly became haunting, "this I'm not quite sure of yet. I'm still debating within myself whether to carry it out. But regardless of what I decide to do," she acknowledged them, particularly Saitou, "either way it will benefit Japan." Looking into their eyes, Sonami saw that it was going to take some time for all of this to register into their heads. With a slight bow, she retired back into her room.  
  
"Kenshin?" Everyone asked.  
  
"I don't think her intentions are necessarily evil, would you agree, Saitou?"  
  
Saitou stood there silently for a couple more minutes before answering. "I'll agree with you, that is, for now. But there are things I need to be certain of before I could trust her completely."  
  
"Ugh...I have no idea what's going on!" Sano suddenly commented. "I'm going back to bed."  
  
* * *  
  
Saitou walked into his office. It was still a bit dark, the sun barely rising above the horizon. He looked through his desk drawers, throwing every file and papers that got in his way. Eventually he stopped. He smirked, taking out an old, wrinkled file that was at the bottom of everything else. The only case that Saitou Hajime had closed without solving. Even if there were other possible cases that he couldn't solve, (which was not the case, by the way), he wouldn't have gave them a thought. However, this one was different. Yes, Yutamuro, the ancient family name. Saitou didn't quite know what the girl was up to, but regardless of that, he knew that she was the only link that was left. She was a lot more clever than he gave her credit for. Yes, no matter what, she would be of use.  
  
* * *  
  
Sonami woke up, thanks to the sunlight that penetrated through the rice paper doors and beaming at her face. She slowly sat up, reviewing the contents of the letter in her mind. Suki managed to do one thing, but not the other. Oh well, one out of two was better than nothing. Besides the other request she made was unexpected. Then suddenly she felt a bit awkward. Some other presence had been in her room a short while ago. She tensed, until her eyes spotted an object near the corner of the room. Orchids. "Soujiro..." She smiled. Yet within that smile, there was a tint of sadness lingering.  
  
* * *  
  
"If you don't mind me asking, Miss Sonami, where are you going?" Sonami spun around, and found Kenshin smiling at her.  
  
"I...well," she stammered, still feeling a bit awkward about yesterday's incident. "The letter I received yesterday told me that one of my old friends is residing in Tokyo. I was quite surprised actually, that finding her was so elusive, yet she was right here the whole time."  
  
"Well then could we come with you?" Misao and Kaoru joined in.  
  
"Um...you don't mind?" Sonami asked, a bit uncertain.  
  
"You don't need to worry." Kenshin reassured her. "We understand. I'm sure you have your reasons, and we don't mind if you don't tell us the whole story. Besides, we weren't exactly honest with you either in the first place."  
  
"Hey, count us in!" Sano came running, followed by Yahiko and Soujiro.  
  
Sonami smiled. "Thank you everyone." Perhaps this would work out after all.  
  
* * *  
  
"So what exactly are we doing?" Sano asked. Almost everyone gave him a "you're an idiot" look. "What?"  
  
"We're here." Sonami informed them.  
  
Inside, a young woman was kneeling down, watering and fixing her garden. When she realized that someone was at the door, she looked up slightly. She gasped. "Sumi!" Instantly, everything in her hands dropped to the ground as she ran towards them. "Is, is it really you?" She stammered, still in disbelief. Sonami nodded her head.  
  
"What are all of you doing here?" Instantly, everyone's head turned to see a confused, yet irritated Saitou.  
  
"We would like to ask you the same thing." Kenshin replied.  
  
"You're in my house."  
  
* * *  
  
Yay! End of chapter. I know...this one's a bit shorter than the other ones, but I really wanted to cut it off right there.  
  
So ok, comments...isn't the whole flower thing adorable? They are so cute together! Oh, and I filled in a few holes about Sonami's past. Some are pretty obvious while others are more subtle. Hee...hee...good luck trying to figure them out! =) But that doesn't mean over-analyze. (Oh, and yes, the whole thing is still a bit of a mystery, but everything will be clear eventually).  
  
Sano and Yahiko-more comedy from them...  
  
Aoshi-yes, I finally introduced him...more on him and Misao later on...I just hope I didn't make him seem too cold in this chapter.  
  
Kenshin, Kaoru, Misao-I'm sorry that there's not much on them this time...although there's going to be a little more Misao in the next chapter.  
  
Saitou-he makes things interesting, eh? And what was he exactly referring to? =)  
  
Tokio-you know by now that the woman was Tokio, right? Well, if you didn't, now you know. So how does Tokio play into all of this? =)  
  
Soujiro-isn't the whole situation cute? He's so sweet! =) (I just hope I'm not making him too sentimental, and overplaying the scene...but I can't help myself!)  
  
Sonami-obviously more of her in this chapter. We see a bit more of her dangerous side in this one. Who is she really? But still the whole innocence thing is somehow mingled into it all. Oh, and her and Soujiro...they are so cute together...but are they going to be together? Hee...hee...I'm playing with your mind now aren't I? =)  
  
Thanks for reading! And please REVIEW! =) 


	4. Explanations

Hi! Back again...I get the feeling that this chapter's going to contain lots of angst, but whatever...we'll see...  
  
Standard Disclaimer, blah blah blah...you know what I mean.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey what's this? Oops." Yahiko poked a vase, making it fall off the table. Luckily, nothing broke, thanks to Soujiro's speed.  
  
"Why can't you keep still for once?" Misao yelled, irritated.  
  
"Make me." Yahiko teased.  
  
In an instant, Misao took out her kunai. "Watch me." Misao was about to attack, when she realized that someone had grabbed her arm.  
  
"Um...Misao, I don't think Saitou-san will appreciate having holes in his walls." Soujiro reminded her, sweat-dropping.  
  
"All right, I suppose so." Misao sat back down, sulking.  
  
"Pests." Saitou thought.  
  
"Oi, what's going on around here?"  
  
"No..." Saitou cursed. "Not him, not now..."  
  
"Chou!" Everyone yelled.  
  
"Did you throw a party without me Saitou-san?" Chou sat down, making himself at home. "That's a shame cause I happen to have a lot of sake stashed away."  
  
"Sake?" Sano's eyes brightened.  
  
Saitou groaned. He looked around the room—a rooster, a weasel, a raccoon, a crazy broom-head clown...his house was turning into a zoo.  
  
* * *  
  
"Look at those butterflies, aren't they pretty?" Tokio pointed.  
  
"And she married Saitou?" Sonami was on the verge of sweat-dropping. "So how have you been doing all these years?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, just doing this and that, I suppose. Nothing much of importance."  
  
"And getting married?" Sonami quirked an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, yes, um...that..."  
  
"You get married to someone almost twice your age and you didn't even write to your best friend about it?" Sonami teased.  
  
"Well, I wasn't exactly sure..." Tokio stammered, feeling a bit guilty.  
  
"It's okay Tokio. I know you were concerned about the safety of your husband, so you thought it better than to write to me. Letters are the easiest things to intercept after all." She reassured her. "By the way, you don't have to lie to me you know." Sonami took on a more serious tone. "I know that things hasn't been easy for you. Not for any of us."  
  
Tokio smiled weakly. Yes, nothing had ever been easy. Perhaps that was why she hid her sadness behind all the pretentious happiness. But isn't she happy now? Yes, in certain ways she was. But other things never went away.  
  
"So how did you end up marrying him?" Sonami teased, trying to brighten her up. "You didn't happen to..."  
  
"No!" Tokio reacted. "You know that I wouldn't use trickery like that for..."  
  
"Well, last time I checked you were quite masterful when it came to hypnosis. You could have convinced almost anyone to jump off a cliff."  
  
"But I wouldn't..." Tokio protested, alarmed.  
  
Sonami started to laugh. "You know I was only joking."  
  
"Well, that wasn't very nice." Tokio pouted.  
  
"Well, you should have known better...after all, the last time I checked, you were the one that's seven years older than me, not the other way around. I should be the naïve one." They both started laughing.  
  
"You know," Tokio's eyes suddenly shinned mischievously. "Did I ever tell you that marrying Saitou-san was inevitable?"  
  
"Huh?" Sonami turned around, puzzled.  
  
This time, it was Tokio's turn to laugh. "Well..."  
  
* * *  
  
(flashback)  
  
"Tokio, could you come into the kitchen please?"  
  
"Yes mother." Strange, she thought. Her mother never called her into the kitchen. She herself was never in the kitchen. It was mostly the servants that did all the work.  
  
"Where have you been all afternoon?" Her mother asked, all out of breath.  
  
"With Sumi and Hirou. Where else?" She replied innocently.  
  
"Well, we have a guest over right now, and I want you to serve tea." Tokio stood there puzzled. She never served tea before, much less been in a room where her father and his guests were having conversations.  
  
"What are you doing, just standing there?" Her mother chided. "Hurry!" Tokio made haste towards the study, yet careful enough to not spill the tea. Hopefully, she wouldn't embarrass herself and her family.  
  
"The war is not turning out the way we hoped." She heard her father say.  
  
"It may be so, but one does not give up so easily." She heard another voice reply.  
  
Her father, sensing her presence behind the door, said, "Come in."  
  
Tokio shyly entered the room. The first thing Tokio noticed was the stranger, and his uniform. A Shinsengumi, she mused. She always wanted to see one of those soldiers, of whom her father always spoke so highly about. Now she satisfied her curiosity. She proceeded to pour the tea. Throughout the whole process, the two men stayed silent. When she was done, her father suddenly stated, "This is my daughter, Tokio." Then looking at Tokio, he continued "and this is Saitou Hajime, the captain of the third squad of Shinsengumi." Tokio gave a slight bow, and then started out the door. However, on the way out, she overheard her father say, "I would like to make a proposition with you Saitou-san." Tokio stopped. She knew it wasn't good to eavesdrop, but for some reason she seemed to be stuck there. "After the war, I would like you to take my daughter as your wife. It would be an honor to have you as my son-in-law."  
  
* * *  
  
Sonami looked at her incredulously. Tokio laughed. "I'm not making this up you know."  
  
"Then why didn't you tell me this before?"  
  
Tokio shrugged. "It never came up. Besides, I didn't want father to know that I eavesdropped on their conversation. Also, I never saw him again until much later."  
  
"I see, so fate deemed that you two would be together."  
  
"Hai." Tokio replied, still smiling.  
  
Sonami's eyes clouded. "And fate deemed that I would be alone."  
  
Realizing where this was leading to, Tokio let out a sigh. "You still remember him don't you?"  
  
"Did you expect otherwise?"  
  
"No." Tokio admitted. "But it has been seven years." With that, she continued to comfort her friend, who at the moment was still lost in the past.  
  
* * *  
  
"It's about time that we discuss the situation Battousai." Kenshin nodded. The two of them were in a room alone, away from prying ears, or so they thought...  
  
"What are you guys doing?" Soujiro asked the group huddling against the door.  
  
"Eek!" They all squealed, scared to their wits. Unfortunately for them at that precise moment, all their weights pressed towards the door, breaking it. All of them fell straight towards the floor, right it front of a confused Kenshin, and an extremely irritated Saitou.  
  
"Oro?" Kenshin remarked. Then he glanced at Saitou, who looked murderous.  
  
Fortunately, Saitou didn't draw his katana. Instead he motioned for them to sit. "You might as well be here listening, so that I don't have to answer any stupid questions later on." All of them meekly took a seat inside the room. Saitou sighed. He really was mellowing down with age.  
  
Once everyone stopped scuttling about, Saitou started, "I think I should start first by informing you about the trade clans."  
  
"Trade clans?" Sano quipped.  
  
Completely ignoring Sano's comment, Saitou continued, "The trade clans were powerful families that basically controlled all of commerce in Japan and also between Japan and neighboring countries. The most famous, and most powerful of them was the Yutamuro clan." Some gasps were heard within the group. "They were even respected by the samurais and were also deemed as extremely dangerous. Their fighting techniques were integrations of various styles and weapons, which made it almost impossible to defeat them. Although of course, all of this is understandable, since most of the clans did have some samurai blood within them, and many samurais were their patrons."  
  
"And knowing this, both sides in the Revolution tried to gain their alliance." Kenshin filled in.  
  
"So they sided with the Ishin Shishi?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"No." Saitou replied. "They decided to stay neutral." Why won't they be quiet and just listen? This was not a questions and answers period. "Actually, to be exact, the Yutamuro decided to stay neutral, and since they decided to do so, that was the general consensus amongst the rest of the clans as well."  
  
"Oh." Everyone commented.  
  
"Seiju Yutamuro was the last known head of the clan. Sonami's father no doubt."  
  
"I see." Sano suddenly interrupted. "Well, I see what Sonami's up to. She's just seeing what's left of her clan. Nothing harmful. All right Chou, let's have some sake." With that he walked out of the room, dragging Chou along.  
  
"We better go and make sure that they don't do anything stupid." With that, Kaoru and Misao left as well. The room now consisted only of Saitou, Kenshin, and Soujiro.  
  
"There's more to it isn't there Saitou?" Kenshin stated, after some periods of silence.  
  
Saitou made a grab for a cigarette, but decided against it, for Tokio hated him smoking inside the house. "I'm about to relate to you one of the tainted deeds of the Meiji government."  
  
"We know up to a certain degree that all governments are corrupted Saitou, go on." Kenshin urged, while also acknowledging Soujiro.  
  
"Although the trade clans had declared neutrality during the war, once the war was over, the Meiji government decided to destroy them. However, none of this was common knowledge, for the eradication was done in secret." Saitou's eyes glowed. "Many died upon "friendly" swords, ambushed, stabbed in the back, killed in their sleep...unnecessary to say, it was an extremely dishonorable maneuver." Three sighs simultaneously occurred. "Seiju Yutamuro was killed soon after the war." Eyes lit up. "Actually in this case, no one knows just how, or who committed the deed. Wouldn't be surprised thought if the government sent some assassin to do the job." Saitou snorted. "But then something peculiar happened after that incident. The trade clans started warring against each other."  
  
"Against each other?" Kenshin raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes, against each other." Saitou repeated. "By this time, the once respected and honorable clans were the minority—barely existing in fact. The ones that were dominating were corrupt. In fact, as I later found out, they were toying with the new government. They had agreed to help destroy the rest of the clans in order for them to survive. Their corruption started to destroy Japan. And that's where I came in again."  
  
Ah, yes, the creed of the Shinsengumi, Kenshin thought to himself. Saitou would never be left alone. He had to purge, and in this case he would have had no qualms, for his enemy, indeed, was evil. "However, their new leader was extremely elusive." Saitou started again. "I was close on his trail, but suddenly the whole operation seized. At seven years after Meiji, in fact. Seven years ago. No one knew what happened. So I ended up closing the case." Kenshin sensed the anger in Saitou. "And now, within the past few months, I noticed that the same traces of them started to appear again. And this time," Saitou clenched his hand into a fist, "I am not going to let them go unpunished."  
  
"And this is why Sonami is useful." Kenshin said softly, reading Saitou's thoughts. "Sonami herself wasn't corrupt, for she was part of the Yutamuro clan. But she knows the truth behind all the maneuvers and the hidden facts. In fact, she is the only heiress of the once legendary clan, and the only key." Kenshin sighed. "She's barely twenty-one now. Imagine having to have gone through all of that while being a child. It's amazing that she didn't turn into a heartless killer. And Tokio..." Kenshin's eyes suddenly lit up. "Is that why you married her?"  
  
Saitou glanced up. "If you're insinuating that I only married her because I needed information, then that is not the case. I knew she was a samurai's daughter, fair enough, and may had even conjectured that her father might have been one of the patrons, but I had no idea about her connection to Yutamuro until all of you walked into my house today." The three men stayed silent after that, each trapped within his own thoughts.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey, here comes Sonami and Tokio." Misao yelled.  
  
"Ah, so this is the Sonami all of you have been talking about." Chou remarked. "Definitely pretty, but for my eccentric tastes, I prefer Tokio- san." Chou remarked jokingly, but first checking to make sure that Saitou was not behind him.  
  
"Thank you for the flattery Chou-san." Tokio laughed. "But for your health I think it wise for you to refrain from such compliments with my husband around."  
  
"Ok, enough Chou." Sano interrupted, impatient. "Where's the sake?"  
  
"Oh, so Sano wants some sake, ne? I'll give you your sake. More than you can handle, in fact."  
  
"Oh yea?" Sano started, flaring up. "I bet you can't even finish a bottle."  
  
"Is that a challenge?" Chou mocked. "I'll take you up on that."  
  
With that started the sake challenge between Sano and Chou. At first, all the women tried to stop them, but after seeing them drink, three, four, five bottles, they were fascinated by how much they could drink, and decided to teach them a lesson through the hangover that they were going to have the next day.  
  
* * *  
  
"I can't believe we have to carry this idiot back all the way to the dojo." Yahiko complained.  
  
"Last time I checked Yahiko, it's Kenshin and Soujiro that's carrying Sano, not you." Kaoru said, giving Yahiko a smack in the head.  
  
"Didn't I tell you to stop hitting me ugly?" Yahiko glared.  
  
"What did you say, you..."  
  
"All right, I want everyone quiet till we get to the dojo." Saitou ordered. "I got enough headaches for one day thanks to all of you and I don't wish to get another one." Seeing Saitou all worked up caused everyone to hush up.  
  
They arrived at the door of the dojo when Sonami said, "Since everyone is here, I might as well tell what I'm going to do tomorrow." They became attentive. "I'm starting on a journey over Japan, in order to do what I came to do. So I wanted to tell everyone that I'm leaving tomorrow."  
  
"What?!!!"  
  
"But you can't, Sonami...you just came here..." Kaoru and Misao pleaded.  
  
"I suppose I can't stop you." Kenshin smiled. "But you forget that Saitou and I promised your 'brother' to protect you. So that means that we would have to go with you as well."  
  
"And of course," Tokio added, "if you're going, I have to go with you. After all, I was part of the situation." She ignored the curious looks everyone else was giving her.  
  
"We want to go too." Misao and Kaoru yelled. "There is no way that you are leaving us out in this one."  
  
"Don't forget me!" Yahiko shouted. "You guys always leave me out in everything. Well, not this time!"  
Then all eyes fell on Soujiro. "Well, I'm a rurouni after all, and I wouldn't be a wanderer if I wasn't wandering with the rest of you." Soujiro smiled. "Well, that is of course, if you don't mind Sonami."  
  
"Of course I don't." She answered. "But I have to warn you, my journey is anything but safe and easy."  
  
"Bah." Yahiko replied. "We're used to that stuff."  
  
"Ok, then." Sonami smiled. "Everyone be ready by tomorrow!"  
  
* * *  
  
Misao stayed outside, staring blankly into a dark space. Things were certainly getting interesting, and of course, she was enjoying herself. Then why was she still feeling empty? "Aoshi..."  
  
Misao tried to get the image out of her mind. She had left for good, and there was no reason to look back. But it just wouldn't go away. Why was she still thinking about him? He didn't love her, at least not the way she wanted him to. So why? Because she still loved him.  
  
Misao sighed one last time before retiring to her room. "Perhaps this journey will help clear my head."  
  
* * *  
  
"Why didn't you tell me!" Sano yelled.  
  
"It's not our fault that you were dead drunk!" Misao reproached him.  
  
"Ugh...I need to get ready quickly!" With that, Sano started to run out of the door, when...  
  
"Hello, may I speak to someone?"  
  
"Megumi?" Kaoru asked, puzzled.  
  
"Ah, yes, sorry to bother everyone so early in the morning, but I have an urgent matter to discuss." Megumi explained.  
  
"Come in Megumi, and tell us." Kenshin offered.  
  
"Thank you." Megumi replied, ignoring dagger eyes from Kaoru. "According to Gensai-san, an epidemic hit the nearby villages, and they need medical assistance right away. However, it has been rumored that the roads to those villages have been unsafe lately, so I need someone to come with me to ensure safety."  
  
Kenshin scratched his head. "I'm sorry Megumi-san, but most of us are already engaged in something else. But now that I think of it, Sano is probably free, so he could go with you."  
  
"What?!!!" Both Sano and Megumi protested.  
  
"But I'm going with you guys!" Sano shouted.  
  
"Actually Sano, you never really told Sonami you were. You were knocked out, remember?" Misao corrected him.  
  
"But, but..."  
  
"She's right Sano." Kenshin tried to suppress his smile. "Technically you are not obligated like the rest of us."  
  
"So you're the one going with Megumi!" Yahiko concluded.  
  
"All right Sano, let's get this over with." Megumi stated, dragging Sano with her.  
  
"One less annoyance." Saitou commented.  
  
"Well, is everyone ready to go now?" Sonami asked.  
  
"Yup!" Misao replied.  
  
"No she's not."  
  
Everyone turned towards the door... "Aoshi Shinomori!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Aoshi?" Misao blinked.  
  
"We're going back to Kyoto now." He flatly stated.  
  
"You...you came to get me?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Why?" She received no response. "Well, Misao, isn't this what you wanted?" She said to herself. No, not quite. She wanted him to have a reason. A reason she wanted to hear from him. "Jiya told you to come and get me, didn't he? She pouted.  
"No." He wanted to say. But he couldn't. "Yes."  
  
"Then I'm not going." Misao declared stubbornly.  
  
"Misao..."  
  
"Besides, I'm obligated. I promised Sonami that I'll go with her."  
  
"Misao, you don't have too..." Sonami protested, but was cut off by Misao.  
  
"And you were the one Aoshi, that told me to always honor the promises I made."  
  
"Where are you going?" He suddenly asked.  
  
"Well, everywhere I suppose, but we're going to Nagasaki first." Sonami answered, a bit nervous.  
  
Aoshi contemplated his situation. Kyoto was on the way to Nagasaki. He had enough time to persuade Misao on the way. "In that case, I'll come with you."  
  
"Hm, suit yourself." Misao pouted while turning away from him. Yet somehow, she felt happy inside.  
  
* * *  
  
Yay! Long chapter done! Getting dizzy...staring at the computer for so long...lol. Anyways, comments...  
  
Yea, like I said, a bit more angsty chapter. But I did put some humor into it...oh, and the whole sake thing between Sano and Chou was a bit too much...but I put it there anyways. Also, yes, I know that Tokio's character seems a bit off... Oh, and what about all the background stories? Did you like them? =)  
  
Sano and Chou-seriously...putting them together is a riot.  
  
Saitou-poor Saitou...having to deal with all of that in one day...=)  
  
Misao and Aoshi-I sense conflict...  
  
Megumi-well, ok, so maybe I sort of put her in randomly, but I needed to pair her and Sano off away from the rest of the group for a while. But don't worry, they'll be back! =) (too soon for some people actually! =) )  
  
Soujiro-poor him, he had to make sure that no one was causing too much trouble throughout the day...must have been getting a headache almost as big as Saitou's.  
  
Tokio-a lot of background info on her in this one. I hope it didn't sound too corny though. Oh, and I also sort of hinted at one of her abilities...  
  
Sonami-So I started digging into her past a bit. It's going to get only more interesting from here on! =) (so, just what type of horrific ordeals did she have to go through? Hee...hee...) (oh, and did she know Soujiro before? (remember ch.2 on that?)) Overall, what's going on? Find out later! =)  
  
Oh, and of course...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review! Thanks! =) 


	5. Of Poison and Jade Butterflies

Hi, back again! Thank you for all those nice reviews...got me motivated. =) Unfortunately I didn't update sooner, thanks to a 20+ page, single-spaced, 12 size font English paper due a couple days ago...evil English teacher...well, anyways, I'm sure you are interested more in the fic than my problems, so, let's go on with it!  
  
Oh yea, standard disclaimer stuff...you know already.  
  
* * *  
  
"How much longer till we get there?" Yahiko whined.  
  
"Stop complaining!" Kaoru yelled at him.  
  
"Well, Kyoto is two days away, which means Nagasaki is farther away." Misao answered, getting sick and tired of hearing Yahiko and Kaoru argue every five minutes. "So get use to it, ok?"  
  
Yahiko pouted, sulking. "Well, it's not my fault that I'm bored out of my life!"  
  
"Well, the last time I checked you were the one that wanted to come!"  
  
"Yea, before I realized how pointless this was!" Everyone stopped walking. Silent. "I...I mean..." Yahiko stammered, realizing what he just said. "I...didn't really...that's not..."  
  
"It's ok Yahiko." Sonami gave a wistful smile. "I understand that you're frustrated. Seeing nothing but roads for days can cause people to go crazy." Yahiko breathed a sigh of relief. "But..." Sonami continued, "you should enjoy the peace while it lasts, because, it's not going to last." Then she addressed everyone. "I think it best that we set up camp now. Everyone seems to be a bit restless." Nodding wearily, they agreed.  
  
* * *  
  
Misao couldn't sleep. Everyone else seemed to be quite tired, for no one raised a stir while she got up and moved about. Maybe it was just her happy and energetic nature that kept her from being exhausted. Now getting utterly bored, due to the fact that she had nothing to do, she started chipping at the tree with one of her kunai. However, that grew tiresome after a while, and Misao gave a sigh of defeat and decided to go back sleeping when she saw the box. The box was about 1 ½ feet long, 1 feet wide, and 3 inches tall. She had no idea how she managed to figure out these proportions off the top of her head, but then again, she was really really bored.  
  
Tokio had handed Sonami that box, just before they all set off. Sonami had opened it slightly, but not enough for the others to see its contents. She had smiled, and remarked something about she knew she picked the right person to be trusted, to which Tokio replied modestly. Ever since then, Misao had been curious about it, yet she could never bring herself to ask about it.  
  
Misao drew closer and closer to the box. What was she doing? It wasn't right to go through other people's possessions without asking them...but she couldn't help herself. The long journey, and the boredom she was experiencing made her forget about tact. All she wanted was a small peek...  
  
She gasped, almost slamming the lid of the box onto her fingers. The flashes of gleaming light had scared her. She then took another peek to confirm what she saw was true. Sure enough, they were still there. She traced a finger over the first object, and then grasped it curiously. It was some sort of a sword, but it wasn't one that she had seen before. The sword was relatively short, yet it wasn't a kodachi, for it was shorter. However, it was definitely long enough to not be considered a dagger. She then noticed an identical object right next to it, and concluded that the two were used in pairs. Misao had never been fascinated with weapons before. She knew that she had to know how to use them, but that was all. However, at this point, she couldn't take her eyes off. The hilt was carved in intricate designs that fascinated her, and the blade...the blade gleamed brighter than moonlight itself. She brought one of her fingers at the tip of it, and she managed to stop a yelp, as a strand of blood tinkled down. The blade was sharp, very sharp. She had merely tapped the edges, and it had drawn blood. Hoping that she hadn't woken anyone, she put the pair of katana back, ready to go back to sleep when she spotted something else.  
  
There appeared to be something else in the box, wrapped up neatly in soft cloth. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she took it out, and unfolded the layers of the fabric. A set of perfect kunai. Seeing that they were far better in quality than hers, she took a couple in her hands, getting the feel for them. Surprisingly, they were extremely light, yet seemed very solid. They were probably sharp too, but she wasn't going to get another bleeding finger. Then a thought struck her. Why would of all people, would Sonami have...  
  
"What are you doing Misao?"  
  
Misao hastily put everything back, and turned around to see who it was that caught her. It just had to be Aoshi.  
  
"Misao, you should know by now that it isn't proper..." Aoshi lectured again.  
  
Misao put her head down. He had caught her red-handed. If he had yelled at her for any other reason, she would have been ready with a comeback. However, at this point, that wasn't the case. A drop of tear rolled down her eyes as she continued to stare at the ground. Why was she always such a misfit? Why did she always bring trouble on herself? Why did she always make Aoshi disappointed?  
  
Misao was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't realize that Aoshi stopped lecturing her and instead was looking at her closely. Then he said, "Misao, go to sleep."  
  
Nodding her head dejectedly, Misao laid back down, turning her face away from him. Aoshi sighed. He hadn't planned on making her cry. But then again, nothing ever went as he planned, especially when it came to Misao. He wished that he could seem more kind to her, but his nature always got the better of him. Misao deserved better. The closer he got to her, the more sadness he causes her. He couldn't allow that to happen. No, not to Misao.  
  
However, the more immediate worry he had with her at the moment though, was to convince her to come back home. He tried his best to deny that he missed her presence bringing him tea everyday, but he couldn't. However, if it had just been him, he would have been able to restrain himself from searching for her. Misao had made her decision, and besides, it was safer for her to be away from him. Then the rest of the Oniwaban came into play. They all missed Misao. When it came to that, he had no option but to go look for her. But he had received no orders, or direct requests. He had set off on his own free will—a concept that he had tried to deny as well.  
  
Aoshi sighed one last time before he went back to sleep. Kyoto was only two days away. He had to somehow convince Misao by that time.  
  
* * *  
  
The sun hadn't quite risen yet, but everyone was awake. Well, with the exception of snoring Yahiko. "I still don't know why you allowed such a nuisance to come along." Saitou directed the comment towards Kenshin, Kaoru, and Sonami.  
  
"Well, I suppose we had no other choice." Kenshin answered, scratching his head.  
  
"Hm." Saitou snorted in disbelief as he grabbed for a cigarette, earning a glare from Tokio.  
  
"It's not good for your health to smoke so early in the morning teishu." She made a grab for the cigarette.  
  
"You haven't changed at all Tokio-san."  
  
Behind one of the trees stood a girl, with an amused grin on her face. "Suki?" Tokio blurted out.  
  
"Oh good, this time the little messengers appear in daylight." Saitou commented sarcastically.  
  
"So what is it this time?" Sonami asked, ignoring Saitou's comment for the time being. "Is it because you found information on what I asked you before?"  
  
"Um...no, I'm sorry Lady Sumi, but I didn't find much about that." She flushed. "But I came to warn you." Her eyes darkening a little bit.  
  
"Warn?" Sonami slightly widened her eyes.  
  
"Yes," Suki replied, a bit regretfully. "It seems that your presence here in Japan had been found out."  
  
"Well, I didn't expect otherwise." Sonami merely shrugged. "So who is it that is after my blood?"  
  
"The onmitsu."  
  
Sonami sighed slightly. "Ah, yes. Of course."  
  
"Onmitsu?" By this time everyone awake got into the conversation.  
  
"When Somani mentions an onmitsu, it could be but one person." Tokio smiled. "Still revengeful I see..."  
  
"Certain things never chance." Sonami sighed. "So have you an idea as to what attack they have in mind?"  
  
"Most likely an ambush." Suki replied. "But the details are still a blur. I was on my way back to spying."  
  
"I see." Sonami gave a smile. "Don't put yourself in too much danger." Suki just nodded, and then disappeared the next second.  
  
"Huh? What's going on?" Yahiko suddenly woke up.  
  
Sonami couldn't help but smile again. "As I said before Yahiko, it's better to enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts."  
  
* * *  
  
"We are waiting for your command okashira." Naruko turned around, to see a faithful group of onmitsu.  
  
"Everything goes as planned. No mistakes." She glared at them threateningly. They all bowed their heads in unison, and started off. When they were gone, she beckoned her favorite protégé forward. Obediently, the girl came and stood next to her. Naruko whispered into her ear. "I know better than to think that Sumi Yutamuro would be defeated so easily."  
  
The girl's eyes opened wide. "Then why..."  
  
Naruko motioned for her to follow her to her room. Not understanding yet obeying, she followed. On the middle of a table laid five darts—poison darts. Naruko handed them to the girl. "I need you to hit Sumi with at least one of them. The other ninjas should be distraction enough for her to not take notice of you."  
  
The girl looked at the points closely and sniffed to define the odor. She gasped when she realized what the poison was. "Is...is it really necessary..."  
  
"Yes," Naruko replied bitterly. "I'm going to make her suffer. Suffer like she never did before."  
  
* * *  
  
"It seems that there is a small village nearby Sonami-san." Kenshin informed her after scouting a bit a head of the group.  
  
"That should be helpful. We needed to get some supplies." With that, Sonami raised her hand to brush away her bangs from her face, when suddenly she felt something slid past her hand and into a nearby tree. Everyone instantly turned around, and found a group of ninjas.  
  
"The onmitsu." Instantly, her group surrounded her, acting as a shield. "Sonami," Kenshin advised. "Try to escape while we handle them."  
  
"No." They all stood startled by her response, with the exception of Saitou and Tokio. "I'm the one that they are after, and I'm the one that's going to face them." With that, she walked through the barrier that they had made.  
  
"Well, Battousai, it seems that each one of us needs to take on at least two of them each." Saitou calculated.  
  
"Do you think it wise that we let her fight?" Kenshin gave a worried glance.  
  
"You forget, she's a Yutamuro."  
  
"Ah, yes. I see." Kenshin smiled. "In that case, let's take care of this quickly." With that, they both charged in the opposite direction, getting the first pick at the enemy.  
  
"Hey, wait for us!" Misao yelled as she and the others got into the fray next. Only Soujiro stood away for a second.  
  
"What would happen if I start killing again?" He wondered. "Would I revert to my old self?" Then he looked at the scene around him. "No, I will not." Soon, the fighting got underway.  
  
Sonami glared at her two quarries. In an instant, she took out the twin blades that Misao had previously seen in the box. The glare of the blade stunned her opponents for a second, and that was long enough for Sonami to begin her attack. She sliced past their arms the while they were distracted, and only the pain had caused them to respond. Blood. She hadn't seen it for such a long time. Nor smelt it. The old sensation came back to haunt her once again. She shook her head. No, she was not going to let it destroy her resolve. She closed in to attack again, not realizing that two darts flew past her, not quite close, but enough for her to have sensed it if she had been paying attention to them.  
  
Oh well, those were practice shots. The girl consorted herself while wrapping her legs around a tall tree branch to keep herself from falling off and being noticed. She had three more chances after all. Looking at the others, she saw that two of the enemies had defeated their share of the onmitsu and had started to help the others. She needed to hurry this up.  
  
Sonami rolled out of the way, as the two ninjas attacked from both sides. The two ended up bumping into each other, and one of them felt a slight prick on the side before collapsing. The girl up on the tree cursed silently as she waited for another moment. Sure enough, there came another chance as the leftover onmitsu and Sonami struggled against each other's grasp. Sonami had her back turned, perfectly exposing herself to the girl's darts. Fortunately, as another dart shot out, she ducked with the intention of tripping her opponent. However, her opponent wasn't so lucky. The dart headed straight for his throat, and became embedded just above the collarbone. Sonami stared out of shock, not quite comprehending what had just happened. This was the perfect time. The girl steadied herself, and threw her last dart. She could not afford to miss...  
  
Soujiro had just dispatched his last opponent. For some reason, he didn't feel the remorse he expected to feel. He had just killed without feeling guilty. No, it wasn't that he started to lack emotions again. It was just that...he felt justified. He was protecting someone, someone who deserved to be protected. Speaking of which, where was Sonami...His eyes glared wide as he spotted her. She stood, mildly in shock, looking at the dead body in front of her...and behind her, up a tree was a girl with a cold glint in the eye which he saw in so many people right before they...  
  
Without hesitation, he ran straight towards Sonami, using his shukuchi to close the big gap between them...he grabbed her in an instant, and they both fell to the ground as they lost balance. Soujiro felt pain shoot up from his ankle as he drifted into unconsciousness.  
  
* * *  
  
"What do you mean you don't know what's wrong with him!" Misao shouted in indignation. The doctor cringed at her words.  
  
"Please sir, is there nothing we could do for him?" Sonami pleaded gently.  
  
"Well...I'm not familiar with this type of poison..."  
  
Sonami sighed dejectedly. It had all been her fault. If only she had been more keen during the situation...She had looked up at the last instant, when the girl had already thrown the dart...she felt arms encircling her as she fell backward towards the ground...she had known that instant what had happened. Obviously the sneaky girl was gone, with the rest of the onmitsu, retreating while they still had a chance. Soujiro laid on the ground unconscious, with a slight look of pain on his face. The dart. It had stuck itself at Soujiro's ankle. Once she realized that it was poisoned, they had rushed to the nearby village and sought a doctor. However, as it was, nothing could be done.  
  
Suddenly, the door became wide open, as a girl ran in out of breath. "Sumi-san, I'm so sorry that I didn't get there in time..." She stopped as she saw Soujiro and the poison dart. "Everyone move." Suki. Sonami brightened at the thought. Maybe there was a way.  
  
"Excuse me, but I'm the doctor..." The doctor stammered, unnerved by the intruder.  
  
"Suki specializes in medicine." Sonami started to explain. "Especially with poison and their antidotes. If she can't find a cure, I doubt there's any hope." She stated the last part sadly.  
  
Suki didn't waste anytime as she stared at the point of the dart, sniffing it. Then she observed Soujiro's condition. Her face became pale. "Um...Lady Sumi, may I be blunt?" Sonami nodded her head. "This poison is one of the most torturous poison to be affected with. It doesn't kill instantly, and that actually isn't a good thing. The person affected by it passes out at first, and then eventually regains consciousness, but feels as if they are burning from inside out. Eventually the pain makes it impossible for them to move, and although they will constantly feel hungry and thirsty, the burning makes it impossible for them to swallow anything. Eventually, the person is reduced to staring at a blank space, hoping that he will die. Unfortunately, that may take weeks, months, and even years."  
  
Sonami lifted her head. So typical of Naruko to attempt such a bitter revenge. But it turned out that Soujiro suffered by the sting, not her. "Is there a cure?"  
  
Suki hesitated before she answered. "There is. But at the current situation, it is impossible to attain it. He needs to be treated before the next sunrise—at least that's how long I could keep the poison from taking its full effect—or otherwise the symptoms will not go away."  
  
"So, what do we need to do?"  
  
"You need to obtain a certain herb, but it doesn't grow in Japan. Just like this being a rare poison, the antidote is just as rare." Silence ruled. Then surprisingly, the doctor spoke.  
  
"There might be a way...I'm not quite sure what this herb is, but there is this rich man...he seems to have a passion for collecting things rare and exotic. You might obtain it from him, if he wishes to give it away." His voice wavered, and fear could be detected.  
  
"It seems that this is the only thing we can do at this point." Kenshin dictated. "If you would be so kind, tell us where he lives."  
  
* * *  
  
"Why would a rich man live in the middle of nowhere?" Yahiko blurted out.  
  
Surprisingly, Saitou answered him back. "It is because he is hungry for power. He knows that he will have absolute control over these more simple-minded people, and he relishes such power." Kenshin, Aoshi, Sonami, and Tokio nodded in agreement.  
  
"Well, we're here." Sonami knocked softly at the door, trying not to sound impolite although she wanted to break the door and enter immediately.  
  
After a long interlude after the knocking, an annoyed man opened the door. "I thought I told..." He stopped short when he saw the group outside. They were definitely not from these parts. He had to be more careful. "Come in." He beckoned, forcing a smile. "What are people like yourselves doing out in the middle of such a lowly place?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Why not?" Misao shouted angry, restrained by Aoshi who had to use his best efforts to keep her from lunging at the man.  
  
"I don't understand. Clearly you said you have the herb, and it is evident that we could afford whatever price you ask for, and yet you refuse to sell." Kaoru stated flatly.  
  
"Oh, I suppose none of you understand." The man motioned around his room. "Just look around, what do you see."  
  
"Many, many sets of collections." Sonami replied, paying attention to a particular carved jade set.  
  
"So, as you can see, I'm quite a collector. I care more about collecting things than I do about money, morals..."  
  
"With the exception of power." Saitou grinned.  
  
The man drew in a sharp breath. "Well, with the exception of that of course. But as I was saying, I'm quite a collector. To give away an item that was painstakingly collected, would be an insult to my honor."  
  
"You pompous little..." The rest of Misao's words were muffled as Aoshi placed his hands over her mouth.  
  
Sonami stared at him quietly. "Even to risk a man's life?"  
  
"Like I said before, more valuable than morals." Then he gave them an irritated glance that would even rival Saitou's. "Now, unless you have anything that might interest me, I would like you to leave my house.  
  
* * *  
  
"And I thought Saitou was bad." Yahiko and Misao stated in unison. Saitou quirked an eyebrow at this, but decided to not speak.  
  
"What a jerk!" Yahiko commented. "He deserves to be thrown out of the streets with nothing more than the clothes on his back. Such filth doesn't deserve kindness."  
  
"But that's how corrupt some people are." Saitou resumed talking. "Now what we need to worry about is how to make the best of the situation. I would normally suggest killing him, but most of you wouldn't agree with that method." Saitou commented, especially directing it to Kenshin. "Besides, we would have quite a lot of trouble locating it if the man doesn't reveal it to us himself. He has too many things packed in that house of his."  
  
"What if we sneak into his house in the middle of the night..." Misao stopped, seeing Aoshi glare at her. "What?!! It's not as if we have any other choice! He refuses to let us even buy it from him. What else could we do?"  
  
Tokio was about to suggest that she go and hypnotize him, but then caught herself. They didn't know about her abilities yet, not even her husband. This was not quite the time to reveal well-kept secrets.  
  
"By the way, where is Sonami?"  
  
* * *  
  
Sonami sat down next to Soujiro's lying form, brushing his soft hair away from his face. Suki had left for a short while to gather some ingredients, and had asked her to watch over Soujiro for the time being. Her hands reacted as it slightly brushed his cheek, feeling the burning warmth. Warm, yes, but too warm. All of a sudden she fumbled for something, and crutched the object with her hands as if her life depended on it.  
  
* * *  
  
(Flashback)  
  
Five year old Sumi Yutamuro hid behind a tree, rolling herself into a little ball. Her tears spread all over her face as they proceeded to fall. She was scared. Very scared.  
  
Soon she heard a harsh voice closing in. "Sumi, I demand to know where you are this instant!" Her father. The famous Seiju Yutamuro. He was feared and respected by everyone, and he dealt with everyone honorably, and when allowed, kindly. But not so with her. He was nothing but bitter towards her. "Found you!" He grabbed her by the collar of the training clothing she was wearing. His face was furious. "First you stumble in the middle of your kunai practice, and now you dare hide from me? I'll teach you..."  
  
"Please stop!" A new voice cried out. "Please..." Her mother took Sumi out of her father's grasp, and rocked her gently back and forth. "She is but a child..." She looked up pleading. "You can't expect her to be perfect in everything, especially at such a young age..."  
  
"If she is to inherit the clan, she can not allow any room for mistakes!" He scolded her, but seemed a bit softened by her plea. Then he turned viciously back to Sumi. "I expect you to have perfected that technique by tomorrow, understand?" Sumi just nodded her head. Without another word, her father walked off.  
  
"Sumi..." her mother comforted her while wiping the tears away. "Don't mind your father too much. Sometimes his position causes him to be more temperamental than usual."  
  
"But he's always like this to me." Sonami retorted, sniffing. "Why is it that I always seem to displease him? Tell me mother."  
  
Her mother sighed. "Come inside for a while, I want to give you something." Sonami obeyed. Her mother searched through her drawers and took out a miniature wooden box. Sonami stared, fascinated, as her eyes traced around the curves of the intricate butterfly etching. Her mother, seeing Sonami's fascination, smiled, and proceeded to take something out of the box. Sonami gasped. It was a beautifully carved butterfly jade necklace. She had seen many beautiful things even in her small years of existence, for being part of a prosperous trade clan deemed it so, but she had never seen anything else as wonderful as what her mother was holding out to her at the moment.  
  
"One of our ancestors had purchased it during her trip to China." Her mother explained. "Eventually she gave it to her daughter, and her daughter gave it to her daughter, and it went on as such, and now I am giving it to you."  
  
Sonami had no idea how to express her feelings at that moment. "I...um...thank you so much mother!" With that, the two drew into an embrace. However, during this moment, her mother couldn't help herself but drop a tear.  
  
"If only things were different...if you didn't have to suffer this pain." She closed her eyes. It was all her fault. Her fault for not being able to have a son. After Sumi, she was no longer able to bear children anymore. Knowing this, her husband had grieved, and constantly let his frustration out at Sumi. She had even offered to leave him, in order that he could have a male heir, but when it came to that, he would have none of it. He may not have had affection for the child, but he had affection for her. So facing reality, Seiju decided to get his daughter to be ready to take over when necessary. However, the training and the studying were way too harsh for a child. She knew secretly that if Sumi had been a boy, her husband would have been a little bit more lenient.  
  
"Mother?" Sumi looked up questionably, breaking her train of thought. She smiled back. "I just want you to know, that no matter how harsh it gets, that I'll always be right behind, watching you..."  
  
* * *  
  
Sonami started to finger the necklace gently. Her only memento of her deceased mother. She didn't even have a grave to go back to. Her mother had been shipwrecked, falling into a watery grave...her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Soujiro utter a soft groan. She grasped at the object harder, making her final decision. Would she give up her mother to save another? Eventually she stood up, and quietly slipped out of the house, unnoticed.  
  
* * *  
  
"What do you want this time?" The man spat irritably as he opened the door. However, once he saw it, his whole disposition changed. "That's...that's..."  
  
"Yes." Sonami replied, curtly. "Ming dynasty, butterfly motif, pure jade, a part of a famous collection if I may add." She added slyly. The man stood aghast. "I noticed the jade set you had." Sonami continued. "The only missing piece was this. I'm sure you would want to complete your collection. You know what I want."  
  
The man immediately ran back into the house, and brought out the herb necessary. "I still can't believe you're offering to trade something so valuable for this."  
  
"I'm receiving something even more valuable in return." She responded back to the puzzled man. "A life."  
  
* * *  
  
"Sonami, where have you been, we were worried!" Kaoru yelled as she saw her approach. "Is, is that what I think it is?" Kaoru's stammer drew everyone's attention. "How did you manage to..."  
  
"I'll explain later." Sonami said hurriedly. "First I need to get this to Suki."  
  
* * *  
  
Soujiro awoke with a painful headache. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was the pain. He looked around, and found Sonami who had accidentally fallen asleep near him. She must have taken care of him all throughout the night, he thought. Gently he woke her up.  
  
The first thing Sonami saw that day was Soujiro's bright smile greeting her. "Soujiro! Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes, I'm quite fine." He smiled. "Thanks to someone's devotion."  
  
Sonami flushed. "I'm sorry Soujiro-san." She suddenly took on a respective tone.  
  
"It's not your fault." He assured her. "If anyone's to blame, it's that onmitsu."  
  
"Yes, I suppose." Sonami agreed to a certain extent. "But I doubt that that was going to be her last attempt."  
  
Soujiro frowned slightly, understanding. However, he started smiling again, as he said, "By the way, you don't have to call me Soujiro-san. It doesn't suit you or me. Just call me Soujiro, or if you want, Sou-chan." Soujiro suddenly had an image of Kamatari flash by, which was a bit disturbing, but still somehow relevant.  
  
Sonami blushed slightly. "If you insist, Sou-chan."  
  
* * *  
  
Yay! Done! I'm typing this at two in the morning, and I'm really tired...hopefully I didn't make any careless mistakes...all right, time for comments...  
  
Kenshin-the group leader as usual...  
  
Misao-going through other people's things...bad Misao! =) Hope I didn't make her or Aoshi seem overly angsty.  
  
Aoshi-yup, it had to be him to catch Misao in the act...  
  
Suki-the ever faithful messenger...she'll pop up often, along with Koji.  
  
Naruko-So what exactly does this onmitsu have against Sonami? Find out next chapter! =)  
  
Soujiro-poor poor Soujiro, he's been poisoned! Luckily he gets better, yay! Of course, all thanks to Sonami, hee...hee... =)  
  
Sonami-looks like there's going to be some bloodshed going on. Oh, and poor her, mistreated by her father like that...Well, let me just say, without giving too much away, that this is just the start of a very long chain of bad memories. (Yea, feeling sorry for her...but she has Sou-chan! Or does she... =) )  
  
Yes, there's more tension building up between Aoshi and Misao. Unfortunately, they don't know quite how to resolve it. Oh, and Sonami had quite a dilemma back there, and although some parts might have been a bit controversial, I personally think that she made the right decision, don't you? =) And as you notice by now, I'm not exactly putting together Sonami and Soujiro very quickly, that is, if I'm putting them together at all (you'll see what I mean later on). Also, I noticed that the scene with the weapons took a bit long, and maybe a bit boring, but it all comes into place later on. Lastily, I know that the beginning was a bit too slow, but I did eventually pick up the pace a bit later.  
  
Okay, that's enough rambling for this chapter...  
  
Please REVIEW! =) 


	6. Under the Drops of Rain

All right, back again!  
  
Standard Disclaimer...don't own anything...  
  
* * *  
  
"Would you like more rice balls Sou-chan?" Sonami asked, handing him one.  
  
"That would be great." He replied. "You always make the best foods."  
  
"You don't have to flatter me you know." With that, both of them laughed loudly, causing the ones in front to wonder what they were up to.  
  
"Hey, you two stop lagging behind!" Yahiko yelled at them, only to receive a smack on the head from Kaoru. "What was that for?"  
  
"The last time I checked this was Sonami's journey, not yours. She could lag as much as she wants too." She chided. Yahiko just grumbled.  
  
"Huh? The Tenken is actually lagging?" Misao commented.  
  
"All right, all right, we'll catch up." Sonami and Soujiro ran up to the group, still laughing.  
  
"Sonami, there's a split in the road up ahead." Kenshin suddenly informed her. "One of them leads to Kyoto, while the other goes on to Nagasaki. Which one are we going to take?" Although Kenshin was talking to Sonami, it was as if he was addressing the question to Aoshi and Misao.  
  
Realizing what was going on, Misao flatly stated, "I'm not going."  
  
"But Misao..." Aoshi protested.  
  
"I said I wasn't going back and I meant it!" With that she kept on walking.  
  
"Looks like the weasel made up her mind. Oh well." With that Saitou walked on. Everyone took the Nagasaki road, since Misao's temperament made it obvious that she didn't want any more discussions on it.  
  
"Hopefully I didn't sound too aggressive." Misao thought to herself. But she wasn't ready to go back, not now. She might decide to do so later on, but at the present time that was not the case. "Besides," Misao reminded herself with a smirk. "It's kind of fun having Aoshi to myself, away from the rest of the Oniwaban."  
  
"By the way," Yahiko suddenly broke the silence. "Sonami, are you eventually planning to go to Kyoto?"  
  
"Yes..." Sonami replied, but a bit hesitant. It almost sounded as if something was caught in her throat.  
  
"So why not now?"  
  
Sonami stayed silent for a while. "I have my reasons."  
  
* * *  
  
She fell, rolling on the ground due to the impact of Naruko's blow. "I told you to not miss." She stayed on the floor, looking down, not even attempting to stand up. Only stupidity would have caused her to do otherwise, for she had brought enough wrath on herself already.  
  
Exasperated, Naruko stormed towards the table, and fumbled around for brush and paper. Furiously, she wrote the contents onto the note. After sealing it, she threw it at the girl's face. "Make some use of yourself and deliver this to Sonami."  
  
The girl slowly raised herself up, and walked out of the room. However, once on the other side of the rice paper doors, she ran as fast as she could, away from the place. Naruko might be the okashira, and had somehow managed to keep the restless onmitsu in order, but one had to wonder about her sanity. This was one of those times.  
  
* * *  
  
Walk, walk, walk. That's all they ever did. Nothing but trees to look at. Well, with the exception of Kaoru eyeing Kenshin, Misao and Aoshi stealing glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, Saitou profusely smoking while everyone stood at least five feet away from him, including Tokio...yup, a typical scene in the life of Yahiko. Then of course, there was that girl leaning against a tree with a ninja outfit...whoa, what?!!  
  
Apparently he wasn't the only one that saw her, as every swordsman put his hand at the hilt of his katana on instinct. "She was the one with the darts wasn't it?" Soujiro asked, wanting to confirm. Sonami nodded.  
  
The girl started walking towards them, but surprisingly she only had a note in her hand. She kept a safe distance, and threw the note, directly at Sonami. Sonami caught it with ease, and scrolled through it. She had a thin smile on her face. "I see. Naruko wants to directly challenge me at Nagasaki." Then nodding to the girl, she continued, "Tell your okashira that I accept. But..." she added, "if she attempts another dirty maneuver, I won't be so lenient next time."  
  
* * *  
  
"Sano you baka! You got us lost again!"  
  
"What are you talking about? We're not lost, we're just, um..."  
  
Sano and Megumi walked along the non-existing trail as they attempted to find the main road again. Both were irritated. Megumi, because of having been stuck with Sano, and Sano, because, well um...just because. Well, there was the fact that he didn't had a decent cup of sake for weeks, and he was still grouchy for not being able to go along with the rest of the group...but other than that, he was irritated just because he felt like being irritated.  
  
"By the time we get to the next village, all of Japan would have contracted the epidemic." Megumi reproached bitterly.  
  
"Well, if you didn't walk so slowly we wouldn't have had to take a shortcut in the first place." Sano replied back angrily.  
  
"I didn't want to take the shortcut, but you just had to insist!"  
  
"Well, if it wasn't for..." Sano suddenly stopped his yelling, when he felt something wet falling down his face.  
  
"It's raining!" Sano grabbed Megumi, and they went under the biggest tree nearby. "Maybe it will stop after awhile." Unfortunately, the rain dropped harder and harder.  
  
"Looks like we have to stay the night here." Sano remarked. "So stop squirming."  
  
"Why do I have to be stuck with you in such an uncomfortable position?" Megumi quipped. She did have a point, for she had to basically squeeze under the branches, her face barely inches away from Sano's. Although the tree was the largest around at that point, that didn't necessarily mean that the tree was large.  
  
"Well, if you really don't like it, then move." Sano remarked lazily as he tried to get more comfortable, although Megumi's body slightly pressed against him, distracting him.  
  
"Why can't you move?" Megumi retorted, although now she wasn't so insistent on him leaving...  
  
"Well, um..." Sano tried to think up a believable answer. "It's raining too hard and I don't want to get wet. And you?"  
  
"Well...I...same here!" She suddenly answered, lacking a better excuse.  
  
* * *  
  
"Ah!!! It's raining!" Misao screamed as she looked for shelter.  
  
"Don't worry, Nagasaki is only a few minutes away, and there's a place for us to stay." Sonami reassured her.  
  
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry!" With that, Misao grabbed the startled Sonami's arm and started dragging her. Everyone else just sweat-dropped.  
  
After a few moments of running, the group spotted Suki holding out a lantern and an armful of umbrellas. "Welcome to Nagasaki." She said as she started handing the umbrellas out. "Unfortunately, there were just so many umbrellas that I could carry at a time, so you need to share." Slowly, they started to pair off. Kenshin and Kaoru took one, Aoshi and Misao taking another, Saitou instinctively grabbing Tokio, and Soujiro and Sonami huddling under one. Yahiko was in the rain. Feeling bad, Suki held out hers to him. "Here, you can have this."  
  
"Forget it! I rather get rained on." He replied adamantly.  
  
"Stubborn, isn't he?" Suki quirked an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes, unfortunately." Kaoru replied. Giving Yahiko a "you're an ungrateful little brat" look.  
  
The group headed off, pair by pair, although not in rows like cutesy little school children. "Interesting scene, isn't it Hajime?" Tokio commented slightly to her husband. She continued to look at the "couples" and then her eyes fell on Soujiro and Sonami. The boy was in love with her and he didn't realize it. And she...she was still in denial. Throughout the whole interlude, Saitou had not uttered a word. But Tokio felt, even amongst all her pondering, that her husband's grip on her grew slightly tighter.  
  
* * *  
  
The rain continued to pour throughout the night.  
  
Exhausted, everyone fell asleep. Well that is, mostly everyone. Soujiro was lying on his futon, staring directly at the ceiling. Rain always stirred him. It would never leave him alone. The flood of memories—it all rushed back with the rain. Blood mixed with rain, covering the ground, with a slight addition of—tears. Bright flashes of the katana, and the eternal silencing of the piercing scream...no, they were not silenced. They continued to haunt his dreams, echo's within the subconscious. Other times he would be able to hide behind his smile, or better yet forget about them. His newfound happiness proved that. However, all that washed away with the drops of rain. He had to sleep...just sleep. For sleep brought on forgetfulness, being a small taste of death.  
  
* * *  
  
Sonami woke up, hearing a scream from the next room. "Soujiro?" Quickly, she got up, wanting to know what happened. Gently she knocked on the door. "Soujiro, are you alright?" Hearing no distinct answer, she knocked harder, thinking that he didn't hear her due to the pouring rain. Her answer was another scream. Alarmed now, Sonami opened the door and slipped in, although blushing slightly in the process.  
  
Soujiro tossed and turned, murmuring and screaming. "No, please...don't...I didn't...don't hit me...no!"  
  
Realizing that Soujiro was having a nightmare, Sonami tried to comfort him. "Hush Sou-chan, it's ok. No one's going to hurt you." She stroked his sweat-matted face gently, trying to calm him down. She whispered into his ear, "Nothing can hurt you...nothing..."  
  
Soujiro's harsh breathing became slower, as his head rested in Sonami's lap. Eventually, he went back into a peaceful state, even forming a smile on his face. Sonami sighed out of relief. Then she too, out of exhaustion, accidentally fell asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Soujiro opened his eyes. Everything seemed normal enough, except for a feeling of warmth huddled somewhere next to him...His eyes glared wide as he registered his situation. Sonami, sleeping next to him, in his room. Panic. He...he didn't do anything stupid...did he? He wasn't exactly prone to sleepwalking...was he? Then what had happened?  
  
As if on cue, Sonami woke up. "Oh my, I must have accidentally fallen asleep here." Then with a smile, "Are you feeling better now Sou- chan?"  
  
"I...well, that is...what happened here?" He stammered.  
  
"Oh, well..." she suddenly blushed, realizing how awkward this situation looked. "I heard you screaming last night, and I came to check to make sure you were all right. You seemed to be having a horrible nightmare, so I decided to stay until you felt better...and I guess I accidentally fell asleep as well."  
  
Soujiro started feeling guilty. He had troubled her, for something that he should have left behind long time ago. "Sonami, I'm really sorry. It's just that..." Soujiro suddenly stopped, as he felt one of Sonami's fingers gently touching his lips, telling him to hush.  
  
"It's all right Sou-chan, you don't need to tell me anything. You don't need to explain. I understand." With that, she stood up to leave. "I should go back to my room. Otherwise, the others will find out and will start asking embarrassing questions." Soujiro merely nodded.  
  
Sonami quickly snuck back into her room, without causing notice. Or, at least that's what she thought. Unknown to her, Tokio had been standing at a corner, few yards away from her. Tokio had just witnessed a bewildering scene. Her first thought was to inform the others. But in her heart she knew she would never utter a word.  
  
* * *  
  
"So you're Yahiko."  
  
"And you're Suki."  
  
The two teens glared at each other, trying to make sense of each other. Obviously, it didn't work. So the glaring contest continued, until Kenshin came and found them in this state. "Oro?" Kenshin sweat-dropped. "If you don't mind this one asking, just exactly what are you two doing?"  
  
"Well, she started it first!" Yahiko protested. "I just sat here, minding my own business when she came and acted as if she owned the place..."  
  
"I do own this place." She interrupted calmly.  
  
"She does have a point there." Kenshin commented, trying to suppress a laughter.  
  
"Well, that doesn't mean that she has to act the way she does!"  
  
"The only thing I said was, 'so you're Yahiko'. Is that so offensive?" Suki asked, getting a bit irritated now. "It seems that not only do you act stubborn, but also talk too much."  
  
"See, see what I mean?" Yahiko yelled defensively.  
  
"You brought it on yourself." Saitou remarked, suddenly entering the scene.  
  
"You're just saying that because you would have done the same thing!"  
  
"Precisely." Saitou replied casually.  
  
"All right, that's enough of that." Suki started. "I just wanted to ask you how you ended up with these people."  
  
"Then how did you end up with Sonami?" Yahiko asked back.  
  
"I asked you first."  
  
"Fine then." Yahiko pouted. "If you want to play that game." He sat down. "To make it short, Kenshin and ugly saved me and I ended up living with them."  
"You mean Kaoru." Suki corrected him. "You should at least have the decency to not call your teacher such names."  
  
"Ah, what do you know?" Yahiko quipped. Kenshin and Saitou just stood there, wanting to know what this conversation will lead to. Besides, they had nothing better to do at this moment. "So, what about you?" Yahiko started asking.  
  
"I was an orphan." She flatly stated. "I lived on the streets living off of sewage until Lady Sonami found me and took me under her care. I became one of her apprentices, and am loyal and devoted to her to this day, and to the end of my life. Obviously I don't call her things that you call your instructor. If anything, you don't know enough about life to act accordingly." With that she left, leaving the two men and one boy.  
  
"She's bluffing." Yahiko commented, once she went out of earshot. "If anything, she's the spoiled brat!" With that he sulked away, now leaving Kenshin and Saitou alone.  
  
"She's blind in one eye." Saitou suddenly stated.  
  
Kenshin looked at Saitou. "You noticed too. One could only guess how she managed to survive with that."  
  
* * *  
  
"What is it that you're wearing Sonami?" Misao and Kaoru asked, curious about Sonami's new style of dress. It wasn't a kimono, but it wasn't a western style dress either, and one couldn't really say it was a mixture of both.  
  
"It's a hanbok." Receiving confused glances, she attempted to explain. "Although hanbok is a traditional dress and doesn't allow much mobility, it is still more flexible and lighter than a kimono. Naruko will probably attack soon, but I need to take care of some business in the city, and I can't just go around wearing only my fighting outfit. Besides, it fits with the setting."  
  
"Huh?" They commented, sort of understanding everything except the last part. "What does it have to do with the setting?"  
  
"Nagasaki has trade relations with China and Japan. Or should I say had." Saitou answered for Sonami irritably. They really asked too many questions. It was a wonder how the Battousai and Shinomori managed to live with either of them.  
  
"Well, the 'had' part is generally correct." Sonami corrected. "But the trades might the opening again." With that she made a bow and stepped out of the door. "I'll be gone for just a short while. If you need anything, just ask Suki."  
  
Saitou just stood there, digesting her words. She had a talent for hiding truth within truth. When she had said the trades might be open again, she told him the concrete facts that he had already gathered. However, her first sentence intrigued him. Generally correct. Those two words hung on him. Was she perhaps implying that there was much more going on than anyone had presumed?  
  
* * *  
  
Outside the window, two birds perched on a sturdy branch. The next second both fell to the ground, dead. Naruko smiled maliciously.  
  
(flashback)  
  
Naruko was proud. She had managed to become one of Seiju Yutamuro's personal apprentices. For an ex-begger, she had made quite a name for herself. It almost made her feel bad for what she was doing. Almost.  
  
Naruko had always been ambitious. What she wanted, she obtained, someway or another. Also, she always looked for an easy way out. If there were no consequences for cheating, she would cheat, if she had to kill she would kill, regardless of whose side the person belonged to. She would switch alliances regularly if it brought her the best results. At this point, she sold secrets. Nevertheless, she hadn't attempted to find anything thing too valuable, until now.  
  
Carefully, she snuck into the archives. She would find it there. All of Yutamuro's original scribing were stored there. Of course, most of the important documents stayed inside locked compartments. But knowing this, she managed to forge a key. She had almost gotten caught in the process, but she had disposed of the nuisance before the word got out. It would take them quite a while to find his body.  
  
She scanned the room until she found the correct compartment. When she did, she put the fake key in, and opened it. She started digging through the documents, looking for a specific one...she gasped when the realization hit her...it wasn't there. "What are you doing?"  
  
Naruko whirled around, alarmed, but relaxed when she only saw a little girl there. "Nothing of your concern, brat." She smirked. Sumi Yutamuro, the only child of her present master. Although, she had no idea if she was really a brat or not, she just called all little children that. But then again, it wouldn't be surprised if she were, for after all, she was the sole heir to the famous clan.  
  
"You shouldn't be doing that." Sonami continued, unfazed by the hostile answer. "You shouldn't betray the trust my father has in his pupils."  
  
Naruko continued to smirk. "Well then, what are you going to do about it?"  
  
"I'm going to fight you."  
  
Naruko stared incredulously. "Just how old are you?"  
  
"Six."  
  
Naruko burst out laughing. "Little girl, don't fool yourself. I'm at least five years older than you, and had much more experience and training. You won't beat me. Why don't you just run along now?"  
  
Sonami didn't budge. "Don't underestimate me because I'm young. Although you may be older than me, I had gone through more rigorous situations because of my father." Then she added slyly, "Also, I have been training, whereas you wasted your time on dishonest things such as stealing documents."  
  
All right, the girl deserved to be taught a lesson. Naruko secretly started to get her kunai ready. "So you knew about it all the time, didn't you? You were just waiting for the right moment to confront me. Well then, get ready for this!" Without warning, she used her secret kunai maneuver, which always caught her enemies by surprise, and at least put a couple scratches on them. However, this time it was her turn to be surprised. The girl, without flinching, dodged, and then used Naruko's stretched right arm as leverage, and swung herself low, ending up at Naruko's back, and then tripping her by disabling her left ankle. Naruko stayed shocked. Who...who was ever able to dodge her secret attack...and dodge it in such a way? However, she didn't have much of a time to contemplate it, for she fell face down unto the floor, caused by the unbalance that her damaged ankle created.  
  
She tried to stand back up, but found it hard to do so, for the impact nearly shattered her already disabled ankle. Also, Seiju Yutamuro had stepped inside. "So, this was our thief." He glanced coldly at Naruko. Then he turned to Sonami. "You did end up catching her, but in my opinion you took more time than necessary."  
  
Naruko looked at her former master incredulously. He chided his daughter...for what? Catching her later than his standards? But she stopped herself. She was not going to sympathize with the little brat.  
  
"Naruko, from now on you are no longer part of this clan." Seiju declared. "I should have you killed, but for the sake of what little loyalty you had for the last six years, I'm letting you walk out of here alive. But if any of us see you again. We would not hesitate, but kill you." With that, both Yutamuros walked out.  
  
After a few attempts, Naruko managed to stand up. She gathered what little possessions she had, and walked out, past the glaring, reproachful glances of the guards. Bitterness filled her mind, as she took just one look back at her home for the last six years. They would all pay. Pay for throwing her out into the streets, with nothing. Especially that little girl. She would make sure that she suffered. Naruko looked up into the sky. It was raining—hard.  
  
* * *  
  
Yay, done! Ok, comments...  
  
Yes, the rain motif is way overused, but I couldn't help it! =) And I sort of hurried along the whole Aoshi trying to convince Misao thing quickly cause I wanted to focus on the other things more.  
  
Misao and Aoshi-so Misao made her final decision. What's going to happen next?  
  
Megumi and Sano-even though they are not with the rest of the group, I'm still going to write about them. Besides, they are going to have an adventure on their own.  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru-I'm really really sorry for not putting much of them so far. It's just that I've been preoccupied with everything else.  
  
Saitou and Tokio-well obviously there's something going on there...=)  
  
Suki-I'm going to state it straight. She's not going to be with Yahiko. Now with that understood, isn't it sad that she's blind in one eye?  
  
Naruko-is it just me or does she seem a bit psychotic? What does she have planned next?  
  
Sonami and Soujiro-Hm...interesting situation, ne? Wonder how it's going to turn out.  
  
Oh, and in all honesty, this chapter didn't quite measure up to my standards. (also the last chapter was a bit iffy also) But I wrote it down, and it wasn't all together too bad...I think. I mean, the scenes were unavoidable. Otherwise the characters would have seemed too flat. Which reminds me...I won't be able to update for about two to three weeks or so, because I'm so bogged down with tests and projects. So expect an update after all that. Also, I would like to say thank you to everyone that continued to read this. I know OC s are not as appreciated.  
  
Oh, and of course, PLEASE review! =) 


	7. Taken

Yes, I'm back again...forgive my lack of updates...=)

Going over chapters 5 and 6, I noticed a huge problem: TOO MUCH Misao and Aoshi angst! Also the characters were a bit OOC. Gomen...gomen...I'll try harder to write a better chapter this time! (although that also means it's going to take longer for this to be posted)

Standard Disclaimers and such...blah blah...

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Sonami quietly passed through the abandoned streets, undetected. She gazed at the ruined houses, which basically consisted of the outskirts of Nagasaki. The old center of the city. She stopped by a deteriorating building, and stepped carefully around the broken doors. Although this part of the city no longer held life and activity like the old days, Sonami still left an important element behind, provided of course, with her people watching over it. It was a hidden secret, buried amongst the old ruins of the past.

Once inside the gates, she walked into another structure, one that contrasted with the rest of the decrepit setting. The old archives. She had made arrangements so that they would be in perfect condition, yet away from the prying eyes of such as Naruko. But then again, even if Naruko realized that the archives were still located at the same place, she would never find what she sought.

Soon, her hands trailed over the locks of the compartments that kept most of the important documents. Then, arriving at the right one, she took out a key and opened it, just as Naruko did fifteen years ago. But one thing Naruko didn't do...

Sonami took out an object she had secretly hidden within her sleeves. She held a small, delicate object attached to a gold chain. The Yutamuro seal. Quickly, she brushed aside the papers and started to feel around the back of the compartment. Sure enough, there was a carving there. Taking the seal, she matched it with the design of the compartment, and pulled. The secret compartment revealed. Slowly she reached out, and took out a small group of parchment, bound tightly with a black ribbon. Yellow, red, green, blue, black, and silver—the secret Yutamuro way of conveying information. The colors represented the importance and the urgency of the news, from least to greatest. Black usually represented the most important information for the specific station. In Nagasaki's case, the secret to the three nations trade.

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Suki hid amongst the abandoned buildings, while making her way towards the archives. She wanted to know if Lady Sumi had gone there and retrieved the information. "Well, it's nice seeing you again." Suki whirled around, finding the ninja girl sitting contently on a nearby broken porch. "Come here so that we could talk." Hesitantly, Suki looked around to see if there were any traps. She didn't particularly sense danger, so she approached the girl. "Sit." The girl commanded.

Although Suki didn't like taking orders from anyone, with the exception of Sumi, she did as she was told. "What do you want?" She asked coldly. "I don't think we are on friendly terms."

The girl shrugged. "Who said we were?" She continued to look at Suki with a thin smile. "But that shouldn't mean that we aren't able to have a simple conversation now and then, does it?" Suki just glowered. "Well, I just wanted to know," the girl went on, realizing that Suki wasn't exactly in her happiest moods, "just what makes you so royal towards your teacher."

"That's none of your concern." Suki replied coldly, starting to get up. The next moment, she felt a harsh blow dealt to her skull, and instantly became unconscious.

"Not a good answer..."

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"This is so boring." Misao remarked. The three women, Kaoru, Misao, and Tokio yawned while staring into a nearby wall.

Suddenly, a mischievous look came on Tokio's face. "Well, there is one thing we can do..." She smiled when she had the two girls' undivided attention.

"Just what can that be, Tokio-san?" Kaoru asked, truly puzzled.

Tokio merely shrugged. "What more can women do when they are bored? Why gossip, of course."

Kaoru and Misao fell face front onto the floor. "And she's married to Saitou?"

"Ah, what the heck." Misao concluded. "We're bored out of our minds anyways. A little gossip won't hurt."

"That's the right thinking." Tokio applauded. "And what about you, Miss Kaoru?"

"Well, I don't know..."

"Hm...I was about to come up with a couple ways for you to finally get the

attention of your red-headed..."

"So what are we talking about again?" Kaoru suddenly brightened up. Tokio smiled inwardly. They were so easy to read.

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"You've been gone for awhile."

Sonami whirled around, finding Saitou tossing a finished cigarette on the ground.

"I had business to take care of." She replied curtly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Business so important that you had to go off on your own, when every corner you turn might have ninjas ready to ambush you? Important indeed." Sonami merely glared back at Saitou. A glare that he was only glad to return. They stayed like this for minutes, each unwilling to give in. Seeing the futility of the situation, Saitou stated two very simple, yet commanding words.

"Give it."

"No."

"And why not?" He asked, not ready to give up just yet.

"I don't trust you." She replied, unflinchingly.

"Fair enough." He shrugged as he walked away. "But I'm warning you, I'll eventually get my hands on the secret."

"Just one question." Sonami shouted, causing Saitou to stop in his tracks.

"And that would be?"

"If you had to choose either justice, or Japan, which would you choose?"

"Don't you think the two go together?" Saitou waved, dismissively.

Sonami put on an ironic smile. "For all your knowledge Saitou, there is one thing you don't understand, and I doubt you ever will, if you continue this way."

Whatever reply Saitou had in mind was cut off, as a speeding arrow flew by his face, embedding itself on the wall across. He walked up to it, and pulled out the attachment. "Apparently someone has an interesting way of sending a message to you."

Upon unrolling the parchment, her face became pale, as she read the contents over and over again. "They've...they've got Suki..."

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Okay...so it's a lot shorter than my usual chapters. But I got the feeling that when I lengthen the chapters, my writing gets worse.

Well, so how was it? I know I haven't updated for about three to four months or so, so the details are a bit fuzzy (fuzzy?). I'm really wondering whether I should continue this fic or not, because I sort of lost my train of thought for this one. Not that I can't get it back, of course, but I'm wondering if this fic's worth being posted, especially since I'm working on another one. Well, tell me what you think, and I'll think about it some more and then decide. Thanks!


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